


Golden Girl

by WritingTheInserts



Series: Golden Girl and Keeping Promises [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, I'm dying at how much I have to move, Reader-Insert, haikyuu reader insert, it's a lot lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 103,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24586891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingTheInserts/pseuds/WritingTheInserts
Summary: She was legendary. Extraordinary. She flew into battle with a spike like a cannon and the instincts of an animal. She was deadly to a team without resolve and godsend to her comrades.But it was not to last.She's left with a broken wing and a broken dream.But the Golden Girl will not be kept from her sport.
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Series: Golden Girl and Keeping Promises [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777216
Comments: 30
Kudos: 138





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I've posted this to other sites, such as DeviantArt and Wattpad, thought I would post it here too!  
> Some FAQ's and common questions
> 
> Is it Leon or Reon?  
> The Japanese use the same katakana (What they use to spell Leon's name) for Le as they do for Re, and it's common for translators to interchange the two depending on the translator. I prefer Leon because that is the intended phonetical spelling of his name. 
> 
> Who is (K/Name)?  
> She is the protagonist of Keeping Promises, and the Kohai of (Name). She has her own fic with Satori, so if you fall in love with Satori during this story, go read her side of things. You can find the story on my page. it is the sister series to this story and is updated at the exact same time as this one. 
> 
> Tangent: Keeping Promises is also the reason why updates can take so long. I'm writing two full stories at once that happens at the same time and that explore different sides of the story. 
> 
> You got this one bit of culture wrong about handing off food with chopsticks.  
> I am aware. I apologize but that part was written two years ago and there is nothing I can do about it. Yes. I've been writing and uploading this fic for two years. I am also not Japanese and haven't spent hours studying the culture of chopsticks for one line in a fic that I'm not getting paid for. 
> 
> What is an R.A.?  
> An R.A. or a Resident Advisor is someone who watches over residents of a dormitory, and have their own room that they live in. usually, there is one R.A. per floor. This is common practice in many dorm situations in the U.S., to my knowledge, which is what I'm basing my knowledge on. I can't imagine they'd let kids run wild in a dorm by themselves, especially a Co-ed dorm. (Co-ed is coeducation, a term used to mean mixed gender.) 
> 
> Are you ending the story here?!  
> I plan on writing the story up to their third year and a little bit of college. I've been writing this thing for 2 years, I'm not dropping it now.
> 
> Did you mean this or that?  
> If I wrote something, I probably meant what I wrote, because I've heard people call certain things this in real life, or it's what I know it to be called. 
> 
> Can you please update faster?  
> I can only update as fast as I write, and the reason it's a good story is that I'm passionate about making sure the details are up to snuff. writing chapters per day is draining, and the quality drops. I'd much rather work at a speed where I'm satisfied with my work, and satisfied with the outcome. 
> 
> please also remember that I am a hobby writer, even though I strive to improve my craft, and I do not write fanfiction for a living. Sometimes life will get in the way, and sometimes life likes to just screw with my entire creative workspace and table flip it like it's 2011 internet culture. 
> 
> If you would like me to work faster, please comment, and I will link you to my Paypal, where you can donate to keep me afloat and actually make a wage for the 2 years of work I've committed thus far to this fic. 
> 
> YoU sHoUlD hAvE cOmE tO sHiRaToRiZaWa  
> Congrats. I hate this meme, and it's one of the most commented things on this fic. I'm requesting a cease and desist. It's not really all that funny, and it doesn't contribute to the conversations that could be had. 
> 
> Is there going to be a lemon chapter?  
> It's up in the air. 
> 
> Will Golden Girl ever play again?  
> Yes

Golden Girl.

That's what they used to call her.

The Golden Girl of Shiratorizawa.

Until the day the doctor broke the fateful news to her.

"I'm sorry Ms. (Name) but it's only a matter of time before it happens."

Golden Girl.

What happened to the Golden Girl? The girl with Achilles strength? The girl with genius plays?

What happened to the Golden Girl? What Happened to the girl who didn't cry? What happened to the girl who didn't have to cry? The girl who protected her team? The girl who always said one more?

Golden girl.

"You should stop while you're ahead Ms. (Name), If you push yourself, it will be terribly painful when it does happen."

Golden girl.

What happened Golden Girl?

She wasn't the same after that diagnosis. She was devastated. Her knee was falling apart. She clenched her jaw. How could she give up something so close to her heart? She thanked the doctor and left his office. Her mother knew she was holding everything in. She watched her daughter with a composed face and voice tell her coach and teammates that she would not continue in high school. They protested, not knowing what she was hiding, but she stood firm. Their golden girl was no more.

She couldn't stay away from the game, however, and ended up assisting the boy's team. The coach accepted her with open arms. He knew of her terrible diagnosis. He knew the once-fabled golden girl had fallen. Her own body had failed her. His team seemed thrilled with their new cute manager. He dared not say a word to correct them as to who they were speaking to, for he knew that would only wound her more.

Golden Girl,

Oh how far you've come.


	2. The New manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new manager is a tough cookie! how will first-years Leon, Wakatoshi, Eita, and Satori manage? the story begins!

The first years at Shiratorizawa were stunned by their new addition. They had never had a manager before. Not a cute one either. Tendo was especially interested in this new addition. He recognized her from Junior high, but he never had any classes with her. He recognized her from somewhere else, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe she looked like one of his manga protagonists? She had the face of a superstar. Semi was blushing. Ohira was trying to calm Semi down, but with no luck. (Name) wasn't paying much attention to the boys anyways. She was spacing out as the coach gave her a sympathetic look. The coach quickly changes gears however and barks at his team to continue the practice. They all jump and scream in unison.

"(Name)-chan, if it's not too much of a bother, could you refill the water bottles?" He didn't want to put too much stress on her. She began to jog towards the water bottles and picked them up quickly.

"Hey, hey, Wakatoshi!" Tendou called out to his fellow first-year "Is it just me or is coach being gentle with the manager?" The serious teen shrugs. "Maybe he doesn't want to scare her off?" The stringy boy suggests. Ushijima shrugs yet again. He had nothing to input. He was focused on practice. Tendou then pouts and turns to Semi. "What do you think?"

"I? Uh... well, she... um" While Tendou enjoyed Semi squirming and being awkward, he wanted more of a reaction out of him.

"Ohira! What do you think?" Tendou bent over backward to face Ohira. He was caught off guard by his strange teammate.

"Well, I hope she takes care of us!" Ohira puts plainly.

"Well said Ohira-kun!" Semi praises, but Tendou pouts at the lame answer. He decided to prod Ushijima again.

"Well, Do you at least think she's cute? Would you ask her out on a date?" Tendou enjoyed making others uncomfortable. He was sadistic in a way. Ushijima looks over at the girl filling water bottles. Her expression was blank. It was like an extinguished candle. There was once a light there, but no more. She looks over at Ushijima, who was staring. He calmly blinks once and then looks forward again. Tendou tilted his head and looked back at the girl. Semi and Ohira follow suit. They all get caught in the empty gaze of the girl. They all jump slightly and quickly swivel their heads forward.

"W-W-W-W-Wakatoshi, did you get caught looking too?" Tendou asked cautiously. Ushijima nodded as if it was nothing.

"She did catch me." His fellow first years gawked at how calm he was. He sounded as if he could approach her, while the rest of them would have to keep their distance for at least a week!

Well, maybe not Tendou, He did have no shame after all.

Once the boys were done running, they all carefully took water bottles from their new manager. The second and third years seemed fine with the new addition, but the first years were still a bit shaky. Her eyes were the most intense part about her. They seemed to read every move they took.

"Maybe one of us should go try talking to her!"

"You do it Tendou!"

"Don't have Tendou do it! He'll scare away our new manager!" Ohira, Semi, and Tendou bicker. The upperclassmen were getting rather agitated. Ushijima didn't see the point of arguing about who would talk to her. He began to walk over to where she sat. The other first-years took notice and silenced themselves so they could watch. Ushijima walked slowly over to her, almost as if to make himself less threatening. She took notice of the boy and watched him approach her. The coach watched out of the corner of his eye. Ushijima extended a hand. (Name) took it into a handshake.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi."

"(L/Name) (Name)"

"Please take care of us."

"H-He did it!?" Tendou sputtered. Semi huffed out hot air

"And he got more than one sentence out!" Ohira nodded. An upperclassman sweat as he saw what unfolded.

"Jeez, I think Ushijima just established dominance with one handshake..."


	3. Awkward Interactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward teenagers are the worst.

"So....(L/Name)-chan..." Ohira began awkwardly "You're... a first year." (Name) looks up at the wing spiker. She nods slightly. Her hands were occupied with charts and statistics from practice. Tendou had insisted that they try to sit and chat with (Name) during lunch. They were also joined by a first-year libero this time. (Name) stares momentarily at the boys before shifting her attention back to the task at hand. All the first-year boys were staring at her with wide eyes. She became slightly annoyed.

"Can I help you with anything else?" She asks. Semi jumps and quivers a little. A dark-haired libero gets startled by Semi's sudden reaction. Tendou waves his wrist at (Name).

"No, well, actually, do you want to have lunch with us? You look lonely over here..." Tendou begins, but he loses nerve midway, not out of shame, but out of intimidation. Instead of looking away like Semi, however, Tendou just keeps staring. (Name) blinks a few times and looks at Ushijima.

"are you asking me too?" She asks in a flat tone. He shrugs.

"If you haven't eaten yet, you should." He replies. The first-year squad pumps their fist in congratulations. Ushijima had said the right thing at the right time yet again. None of the rest of them knew how to talk to her. (Name) closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knew they were just trying to look out for their manager's well being, much like she was looking out for them, but they were starting to become suffocating. She wasn't some damsel in distress, she was the Golden Girl.

Keyword. was.

She sneered at her own thought, and the other first-years gave her space.

As she lifted herself out of her desk, she also lifted herself out of her thoughts. Such thoughts had no use for her.

"Thank you for your concern. I shall go get food right now." as she lifts herself up, she can see the boys beginning to follow her. She sighs again. "I don't really need all of you to aid me in such menial tasks, do I?" They jump back slightly. Her tone was so harsh and empty. Tendou tried his best to analyze and guess her trauma, but she was such a hard read that even the guess monster was stumped.

"man, (L/Name)-chan is a hard read. She'd be a pain if she was a volleyball player" Ohira nodded out of ignorance, not knowing at all the kind of pain that put (Name) through. Of course, Tendou continued to watch the scary girl, hoping that maybe a sliver of her personal life would show through. Ushijima looked back at Tendou and then back at the girl. He was confused.

"We would never play up against her anyways. She'd be in the girl's league," he states bluntly. His team gives him a deadpan look. "What?" he asks

"Miracle Boy Wakatoshi, everybody." Tendou sighed. Semi nodded

"Oblivious."

"Incredibly so," Ohira added. Ushijima looked at his team curiously. What did they mean? What did he say? Why was it so odd?


	4. The Stairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lonely eagle atop a set of cold steel stairs. her wings battered and bruised, longing to fly like the birds she watches, day in and day out.

(Name) sat alone in a quiet stairwell in the dorms. No one used it. Everyone used the elevator. She didn't want to be seen. Her perfect hair was draped over her back and neck, hiding her face. It was like a perfect (H/C) curtain. Behind that curtain was rain. The golden girl had finally broken down. Tendou didn't realize it, but he had broken her with his comment at lunch. She had waited until the day was over to finally release all of her pent-up energy. She sat through another awkward volleyball practice, and she had walked back to the dorms as they silently and awkwardly followed her. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? It was demeaning. It was frustrating. It was infuriating.

As soon as she heard the old iron door to the stairwell open up, she quickly wiped away her tears and did her best to make herself look less red. She then whipped out her phone and began acting as if she was texting.

She could hear footsteps make their way towards her. They were quick but deliberate. She heard a second pair as well. These footsteps were bouncy and sounded more like trotting. As they got closer, she heard voices.

"Man, do you think about anything besides volleyball, Wakatoshi?" Great. It was Tendou. She was almost certain the trotting, sloppy footstep belonged to Tendou, while the more deliberate ones were Ushijima.

"My overhand serve could use work. I still can't control where it goes yet."

"Well of course not! You're hitting it with all you've got! Control and power are kind of trade-offs for one another!" Clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop

"I'll get it eventually."

"Do you aim to be perfect or something?" Clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop

"No one is perfect, but I do aim at being the best."

"Ah, of course, I expect nothing less from Miracle boy Wakatoshi" Clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop, clo-clop

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because you're- (L/Name)-SAN!" Tendou stares at (Name) with wide eyes and jumps back a few feet. Ushijima continues to stare at Tendou.

"No, I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi." (Name) raises an eyebrow at the volleyball prodigy. Tendou bares his teeth and curls down the edges of his mouth in a weird grimace. (Name) sighs as she focuses her attention on the boys again. Her empty gaze captures them again. It was like a spider web, and they weren't strong enough to detangle from her silk.

"Can I help you?" She didn't particularly want to be around Tendou at the moment. She could tell he was good at reading others, and it made her nervous. Years of misleading her opponent, however, made her somewhat more ready for him.

"(L/Name)-san, have you been crying?" Shit. Ushijima immediately examined her eyes. Crying? Why would their manager have been crying? (Name) scooted away slightly from a hand that was making its way out to her. Tendou looked around his manager. There were suspicious small dark circles on the concrete stairs. Perfect size for a teardrop. "(L/Name)-san?" Tendou asked again, but as soon as he looked up again, he squeaked. She was glaring at him. The stringy boy immediately got out of grappling range. Ushijima glanced at Tendou, but then brought his attention back to (Name). Why was she crying?

"It's none of your concern." (Name) bit. It didn't bother Ushijima though. He reached out a hand once again, and she flinched. Tendou thought his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

"You're apart of the team. What do you mean?" (Name) was about to cry again. Why did this boy have to be so sincere? Was he making fun of her? Tendou looked back and forth at (Name) and Ushijima. He was terrified of (Name), but he didn't have the balls to tell Ushijima to hurry up. Lucky for him, (Name) had enough, and pushed past the two of them and made her way back to her dorm. Ushijima watched as she slammed the large door shut behind her.


	5. Nice Serve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An eagle beats its wings furiously at an empty sky

The morning was crisp. The birds were barely making their morning calls, and the dew from last night's storms was still soaking the grass. The squeaking of outdoor shoes fell in a rhythm with low toned chattering. Tired voices talked aimlessly.

"And that's when she slammed the door, man it was scary." Tendou remarked. The other first years were all enthralled in his story. Their bleary eyes focused just barely on his spiked red hair.

"And she was just able to push Ushijima out of the way like that? Impressive." Semi comments. Ohira nods.

"Yeah, most girls can't even speak to him, let alone push him." as they begin chattering again, Yamagata, the dark-haired libero, hears a disturbance in the gym. It sounded like the forceful smack of a jump serve. The other first years were caught up in Tendou's wild retelling of (Name)'s aggressive behavior. Yamagata broke off from the group of boys as he goes to peer into the gym where they were to practice. He scans the giant hardwood establishment, and spies that the nets have already been set up. He furrows his brow as he continues to scan. As he does so, a volleyball goes flying over the net with incredible force and lands in the corner of the play zone. The ball hits the ground with a resounding "SMACK" as it digs into the wood and bounces off at incredible speeds. He watches hungrily as another digs into the floor. He wanted to receive them. He greedily looked towards the source of the killer serves, and a cold chill whipped through his body.

(L/Name) (Name) had been aggressively sending those jump serves over. She'd been causing that noise that got him as a Libero competitively fired up. He swallowed hard. He was conflicted. This was the scary manager (L/Name) (Name). She had pushed Ushijima. She had the gaze that was equal in intensity to the sun!

Lucky for him, she hadn't noticed him yet. He slowly but surely crept out of the gym and closed the door. He then rested his back against the closed door and slid down it, waiting for his fellow first years. His face spoke of horror.

Ohira was the first to notice the libero's terrified expression.

"Yamagata? What's the matter?" the libero simply points as another smack rings through the morning. Birds in a nearby tree flee.

"M-Manager!" was all he managed to choke out. The first years tilt their head. Another smack rang throughout the gym. Ushijima wasted no time in flinging the door wide open, revealing what the libero had seen. Nets were set up and pristine, and a jump serve was quickly launched over the net by a girl who could be described as the sun. Her gaze quickly shifted to the entrance of the gym, catching Ushijima staring, once again. Tendou looked as if he was about to scream, and Semi barely stood his ground. Ohira shook.

Looks like (Name)'s little practice was over.

She blankly looks over at Ushijima, who was the only one brave enough (Or stupid enough) to look at her directly in the eye.

"Sorry. I'll get out of your way now."

"You can jump serve?" He asks just as plainly. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"... You're acting surprised..." Tendou grimaced at her. Of course, they were surprised. Why did she think they wouldn't be? "So... You didn't know..."

"Didn't know what? That you can jump serve?" Ushijima continues to question, but she refuses to answer and shakes her head. So they didn't know at all...

"I've treated you unfairly. I believe we've gotten off on the wrong foot." she walks towards the group. "I'll clean up and help you all stretch." She then walks over to the side of the court that she's been mercilessly assaulting with her jump serves. Her intense aura had dissipated. Tendou simply gawked and turned to his team for answers. They had nothing.

After a quick cleanup, their once scary manager seemed much more amiable. She was responding to their request with a much perkier, although still very flat tone. She was quicker when it came to water, and she became easier to approach. The first years were gathered in a circle as they waited for the rest of their team to arrive for morning practice.

"It's like she's a different person..." Semi was steady for once. He didn't shake when she checked on him. Ohira nodded. He was curious what brought about her change, and he hated that he had to look to Tendou for answers.

As the upperclassmen and the coach entered, Ohira tapped Tendou's shoulder to grab his attention. The boy bent over backward like he was a monster out of some horror film. His fellow first years were alarmed by the strange antics of the boy, and their expressions made him smile. He loved when he could make them squirm like that. Ushijima was the only one unmoved by his display, but that could be linked to his intense focus on his practice. Ohira recentered himself as Tendou straightened himself out.

"Hey, could you... maybe see what's going on in our Manager's head?"

"Oh? Do you need my skills? I thought you hated when I dig into people's heads!"

"Just this once. She's been impossible to read ever since she joined the team."

"You usually don't like talking to me either. Must be desperate!" He whipped around and stared excitedly at the others "Well? Are you guys going to ask for my expertise too? Aren't you curious?" Semi and Ushijima looked at each other as Yamagata pressed his lips into a guilty line.

"I don't know... she seems nice now..." Semi shrugged. He didn't know if he wanted to risk her going back to being unapproachable. "But... I am curious."

"If you want to, go ahead. I'm indifferent either way, so long as it doesn't get in the way of practice." This was a partial lie. Ushijima had been giving a little more thought to (Name) recently and he wasn't fully acknowledging it yet. He had been watching her closely since the first day she came on as their manager.

"Well, so far the vote is yes, I don't know, I don't care and silence." Tendou gives Yamagata a sudden stare. He flinched. "Well?"

"I guess... do what you need?"

"Then it's decided! I'll have the information by Friday's morning practice!" Tendou prances off and easily approaches (Name) so he can take some water from her. Ohira wonders if he made the right choice.


	6. Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quirky and curious, a harpy eagle scouts.

Tendou began his search for information around (Name)'s old classes. He scared the junior high students, but he didn't care. He looked around the old Shiratorizawa halls he used to roam and sighed out of nostalgia. He remembered his old antics well. He took one last painful gaze before getting back to the mission at hand.

He made his way towards an old class that he and (Name) shared before stopping at the trophy display case. He knew the boy's volleyball team held some awards there, and he caught a glimpse of an old photo of himself in the case. He looked over as he got distracted once again by nostalgia, but he then looked over at the girl's volleyball team's photo. He was hoping to see some cute girls, but instead, he was caught by a familiar (E/C) glare. Her hair looked mildly disheveled, but it otherwise looked perfect. She was holding an award. A bittersweet smile painted her face.

Tendou rubbed his eyes and made sure he wasn't hallucinating. Was that really (L/Name) (Name)?

"Is that Tendou-senpai?"

"What's he doing here?" He heard chatter behind him. He smiled slightly. Looks like some underclassmen recognized him. He turned slightly, giving them an aloof gaze.

"Crap, he heard us! I thought we were being quiet!" A boy grips his friend out of fear.

"Uh... H-hello Tendou-senpai?" the other boy waved hesitantly. A younger girl hid behind the two boys.

"Why hello! What a convenient time for you guys to show up! I have a few questions!"

"Questions?"

"Yeah!" Tendou then moves from his spot in front of the showcase and points with his spider-like fingers to the picture of you. "What do you know about her?"

"(L/Name)-senpai..." the meek girl behind the boys let out. A boy tried to hush her, but it was too late. Tendou had heard her clearly.

"Oh? So you know her?" He peered around the protective boys. The meek girl patted one of the boy's shoulders. She was shaking, but she was willing to talk to him.

"What do you want to know about (L/Name)-senpai? Are you trying to interview her or something?"

"Yeah did you join the journalism club or something? I thought you played volleyball?" Tendou smirked. He placed his hands on his hips as he tilted his head at them.

"No, I still play volleyball. I just have questions about (L/Name)-san! What award is she holding here?"

"Best ace award for girl's junior high volleyball." the girl became braver as she spoke of her valiant upperclassmen. "She lead our team to victory a lot. She taught me how to jump serve actually..." the meek girl clearly looked up to (Name).

"Yeah, she was teaching that one kid too, wasn't she? Bowl cut or something." one of the boys spoke up, but Tendou had no interest in some kid.

"So... (L/Name) plays volleyball?" the meek girl looked down.

"Used to. She can't play anymore..." This caught Tendou's attention.

"Can't?" She seemed perfectly healthy. Why can't she play? The other boy patted the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, you don't have to say anything."

"Yeah, he's probably just asking for his own morbid curiosity!" the first boy says, but the girl shakes her head.

"He's on the boy's volleyball team. There's a reason he's asking about (L/name)-senpai. She probably loved the game too much to stay away, and if he's ignorant, he could cause more pain." the girl clearly cared very much for her upperclassmen. This also caught Tendou's attention. (L/Name) was clearly well-loved by those who were in her life. "(L/Name)-senpai was the most reliable player on our team. Her powerful spikes broke through any block, and her jump serves shattered defensive formations. I looked up to her a lot, and I hope to be like her one day, but her body couldn't handle it..." the meek girl began to tear up. The boys by her side began to console her by trying to offer her tissues. "Her knee began to fall apart. Doctors said that it could deteriorate any day. She actually took a big risk in finishing her season with us."

"I see... so she was like a Miracle girl..." Tendou added.

"She was the Golden Girl." one of the boys corrected. "Or that's at least what the girls' team called her."

"Golden Girl? I see... Well, thanks for your time kiddos!" Tendou began to walk off, but the meek girl grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait!" She looked at him with brave eyes as her friends looked on in horror. They didn't know what Tendou would do. "You... know her personally now, don't you? You interact with her on a daily basis right?" She asks. Tendou nods. He listened to her intently. "Please, treat her kindly. She might be bitter right now, but she's fiercely loyal and deserves people who are just as loyal to her. Please, be her friend! Be (L/Name)senpai's friend!" Her eyes were shut tight. Both hands were gripping his sleeve now.

"Wow! So cute! I can't say no to you!" Tendou replies. The young girl gave him a questioning look. The boys also tilted their heads. "Hey, I'll keep this promise if you promise to date me in high school!"

"GEH?" the group choked.

"Just kidding! I'll pass along your message to the rest of the team. (L/Name)-chan is lucky to have underclassmen like you three." He then pats the girl's hands and walks back towards the high school.

"Jeez, I hope he doesn't make you keep that promise," One of the boys sighs as he leads the brave girl back to their classes.


	7. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A great white eagle, tasked with looking out for a friend.

"Golden Girl?" Semi mutters with his chopsticks in his mouth. "Sounds like something you would make up."

"But I didn't make it up! A cute girl told me!" Tendou protested. "You should have seen it! It was like something out of a shojo manga!" Ohira grimaced.

"I think you read too much shonen jump..."

"So she plays volleyball," Ushijima says flatly as he picked up another piece of food. Yamagata deadpans at the up and coming ace. Was that all he thought about? Semi sighed as he patted Yamagata's back. Yes, that was all he thought about.

"So... she thought we knew..." Ohira placed his hand on his chin.

"Oh! Oh! One more thing! That cute girl that told me everything made me promise that we'd be (L/Name)-chan's friend. Her underclassmen really do care for her. She was like an idol to them. I wonder if that girl is doing anything tonight"

"So... they want us to be her friend." Semi tried to get him back on track.

"Mhm! They said she's loyal once you get to know her." Tendou shovels some food into his mouth. Semi hummed.

"So... How do we go about doing that?" Ohira and Yamagata furrowed their brows. How do you make friends with a girl that you can barely approach? Then they all had an idea. One of them had successfully approached her.

They turned their heads towards Ushijima. The idiot didn't notice and was staring at a volleyball magazine.

"Do you think it'll work?" Ohira questioned. He became skeptical. They didn't know how (Name) would react to Ushijima all the sudden trying to talk to her.

"He's talked to her before," Semi adds. "Also she's clearly not afraid of him. Remember? She pushed him." Tendou nods.

"Yeah, once Wakatoshi becomes friendly with her, it'll be easier for us!"

"I guess so, but is Ushijima even capable? Y'know of anything except volleyball?" Yamagata asks. They all froze and looked at their future ace. As he flipped through the glossy pages, Ushijima began to feel the eyes of his team. He looked up to catch the doubtful eyes of the other first years.

"What?" He asks plainly.

"You weren't listening, were you?" Ohira asks with a bit of a chuckle. Ushijima blinks several times before closing his magazine.

"I heard that she used to play volleyball. One of the junior high students also asked you to be her friend. Am I missing anything?"

"You caught the volleyball and the last thing..." Tendou sneers. He sighed and patted the volleyball idiot's back. "We need you to talk and become friendly with (L/Name) (Name)." Tendou spoke directly to his face. Ushijima binks a few more times.

"Okay."

"Perfect! Then it's decided! You'll become her friend first so that it's easier for all of us!" Tendou throws his arms up "And if I keep this promise, I get a date!" Semi, Ohira, and Yamagata all give Tendou a strange look.

"Is anyone focused on the task at hand?" Semi mutters. Ushijima lifts himself up from the cafeteria seat and begins to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"You said I have to become her friend, don't I? I should get started."

"Just like that?!"

"Miracle boy, Wakatoshi!"

(Name) was sitting peacefully in a classroom. On her desk were stats and information from physicals, training, and some medical history. She was in a better mood that day. She was quietly humming a tune as she looked over everything. She picked out that Tendou could use a little more stamina training, while Semi had a more accurate than usual serve. Ushijima's power would be useful in a regular 3 set game, but 5 set games would prove tough for him.

It was all very apparent to her as she looked through the records the coach gave her. She enjoyed this work, but she still longed to play. As she flipped through the notes and handwritten scribbles that the coach had given her, she wondered if she could continue with something similar to this as her career. Maybe something along the lines of sports medicine.

'If I went into that, maybe I could even cure my own knee...' she thought to herself. She moved her lips to the side in a pout. Maybe...

Suddenly the door to the classroom swung open to reveal a tall, deadpan volleyball player. (Name) jumped slightly and dropped her pen. The volleyball player turned his attention to the dropped pen.

"Ushijima? Did you need something?" (Name) furrowed her brows at the taller boy. Ushijima blinked before walking over towards her and picking up the pen she dropped. "Ushijima?"

"You dropped this. I thought I would get it."

"I appreciate it, but you didn't have to." she accepted the pen from the boy as he continued to stare at her. "So are you here for something?" she asks in a somewhat serious tone.

"I was asked to become your friend." Ushijima refuses to beat around the bush.

"...Eh?" Ushijima then sat down at a desk across from (Name). His gaze wasn't menacing, but it seemed expectant. It seemed like it was excited about something. "...become my friend, eh?" she asks. "By who? Some old underclassmen?" (Name) sighs as she straightens the papers in front of her. Ushijima nodded. "I'm flattered that you would take them up on that. I don't need pity."

"I wanted to ask you for some advice anyway." He admits. "You were able to do a jump serve that other day in the gym. My form is still not ideal." He leans forward, closer to (Name) "I am asking you for your assistance." (Name) gazed at the boy. His eyes were incredibly focused. Had it been any other situation (Name) might have developed a crush on him right then right there, but she knew that wasn't happening today.

"Yeah, sure. Teaching jump serves is easy. We can start tomorrow." she clicks her pen as she begins to write a note on a file. Ushijima becomes slightly curious and looks at what his manager was writing. He noticed her nails were well manicured and well taken care of. Not a single spot of ink had gotten on her hands as she wrote. Her handwriting was also impeccable. It was clean, beautiful, and looked crisp. "Is that all?" Ushijima looks up at (Name). He pauses before nodding. "Great" she then lifts herself from her seat, "I think we're done here then. See you later." (Name) gathered up her stuff and began to make her way out, but Ushijima followed. "Or, not. Or you could follow me. I guess that is an option..."


	8. Settling into place

(Name) watched as Ushijima showed her his jump serve. His form was a little bit unsteady, but with more practice, it would shape up nicely. (Name) placed her hand on her chin as she watched another failed jump serve. He straightens up as he looks over at the eagle-eyed manager.

"I guess you want some comments from me now, huh?" (Name) stands from the seat she had set up on the side of the court. She walks over to where Ushijima was serving. "Well, my first major one is that you can't get tunnel vision. Keep your vision wide." (Name) then forcibly straightens Ushijima's back. "Secondly, you're hitting it with all you've got. You're gonna end up hitting it out every time if you keep doing that. Attempt for 94% of your power. Most days will probably be either 80% or 100%" He looked at (Name) intently as she continued to explain. "Lastly, when you aim, you have to aim your whole body, but mainly your hips." She pushed his legs into position. She clearly didn't care about the close proximity, but Ushijima was having trouble getting used to it. "Now, try again." (Name) said nonchalantly. She went to go sit back down as she took out the team notes again. Ushijima took a few seconds to shake off the lingering feeling of (Name)'s touch, but he began his practice again.

"Ah, I guess he beat us here again... (L/Name)-SAN!" Tendou yells, causing Ushijima to miss his serve. Ushijima looks over to the door with a confused look

"It's just (L/Name)" He states plainly.

"Ah! Sorry! I'm still not used to you yet, I guess" Tendou rubbed the back of his head and peered over at Ushijima. He wasted no time in becoming friendly with (L/name) after Tendou told him the plan.

"Tendou." (Name)'s voice cut through his thoughts.

"Y-yes (L/Name)-chan?"

"Can you do me a favor and do some stamina warm-ups? Your charts aren't looking good when it comes to stamina. I want you to do more stamina warm-ups and cool-downs from now on." (Name) said as she clicked her pen. Tendou jumped at the pen click.

"S-Stamina?" Tendou grimaced. Ushijima gave the manager a smile. Tendou gave Ushijima a bit of a sneer before jogging towards one end of the gym. Ohira, Semi, and Yamagata then all enter after Tendou jogs past the door.

"Ah good, you 3 are here now. Perfect. I have a very special warm-up for you all. Coach gave me your records, so I hope you all don't mind that I wrote all over them. I made special warm-ups for each of you. Please take a look at them." she handed them each paper. Ohira and Semi looked at their new regimens with slight fear. Yamagata gave a nervous smile to the manager as he looked over her notes.

"W-wow, (L/Name), You're really working h-hard huh?" Semi tries to steady his voice. (Name) notices his wavering voice and offers him his water bottle.

"Is your throat okay? Your voice is a bit shaky." (Name) stares intensely without realizing that she is the problem. Semi sighs and accepts his water bottle from her. "I have some throat lozenges if you need it." she begins digging in the first aid bag that she had at her side.

"No, Water is fine! Really!" Semi insists. Finally, a sentence that didn't sound nervous.

"Well, alright." (Name) said in a slightly worried tone. What was she? His mom?!

"(Name)-chan!" Tendou called out "I want water too!" Ushijima lifted his head from his practice to spy a much looser Tendou. He had just called her by her first name. It bothered him slightly.

"(Name)-chan?" She questions him as she hands him his water.

"That's your name isn't it?"

"That's my given name, yes. I guess you can call me that." (Name) thumbs through the files she was given once again as she spots the upperclassmen and the coach walk in. She jogs over to them as she goes over her findings in their files. The coach gives a wrinkled smile to her before quickly turning and barking orders.

"(L/Name)-chan was kind enough to do this! If anyone of you wastes the effort she's put forth, expect to run all the way to your next practice game!" (Name) blinks a few times before looking over at her upperclassmen to gauge their reactions. Their faces told her not to take his threats lightly.

Tendou grimaced at the papers. He wouldn't actually make them do that, would he?

After a long practice, the first years were beginning to pack up. The coach barked at them to remember that they had a practice game coming up the next day before looking at (Name).

"If you would be a dear (L/name)-chan, could you make sure the first years take care of themselves properly and eat correctly?" His voice was sweet to her. "I appreciated your notes today." He patted her hand and she nodded.

"Of course." She bows humbly. "I will put my all into this team." She lifts her head once more and jogs over to the other first years. The other first years were slightly unnerved, well, except Ushijima. Tendou also became more comfortable.

"Hello (L/name)." Ushijima greeted her.

"(Name)-chan! Are you gonna eat with us?" Tendou asks excitedly. There it was again. Why did it bother him? Why did it bother Ushijima that Tendou called (Name) by her given name? She seemed to ignore it as she nodded.

"I hope I'm not intruding." Semi shook his head.

"No, it'll be great!" he internally pumped his fist. He spoke to her without stuttering. Maybe it was because Ushijima and Tendou could do it.

"Let's get going, we don't want to miss out on anything." Ohira managed to smile. Some of the upperclassmen looked on and smiled at one another.

"Glad to see that the pretty girl isn't scaring them anymore."

"I bet you 1,000 yen that one of them is going to end up having a crush on her. By the end of the year." another upperclassman chimed in

"Are you kidding? That's a sure bet. A riskier bet is figuring out which one will have the actual balls to ask her out."

"I'd say Ushijima if I didn't think he'd have any other emotions besides volleyball."

"What about Tendou then? He seems Wiley enough."

"I don't think she's his type."

"What's his type? Anime?" The upperclassmen continue to chatter as the first years left. They didn't think any of the first years were listening, but Ushijima had heard them loud and clear. He chose to ignore their words. Why would any of them date (L/Name)? She was a teammate.

At the dining hall, Tendou began talking excitedly about the latest issue of Shonen Jump. He was enthralled in what was happening in a Pirate manga that he was reading. His team ignored him.

"Aww, none of you ever want to talk about that!" he whines.

"None of us read it," Yamagata said flatly as he took another bite. He could feel (Name) watch closely at what he ate. She seemed satisfactory as her gaze focused elsewhere.

"By the way (L/Name)-san, you seem to know a lot about health and nutrition." Ohira interrupts Tendou's whining.

"My Grandfather was a personal trainer who played volleyball for the national team. My mother is a dietician." She replies. "Grandmother was also a doctor, and my father practices sports medicine." She lists off. "Semi, could you eat a little more of that for me?" She asks sweetly. He nods as he picks up the aforementioned food.

'She really is like a mother...' he thinks for the second time that day.

"He played for the national team?" Ushijima became enthralled in what she had to say.

"He was a wing spiker and ace. Killer jump serve." She looked at what Ushijima was eating and noticed some things lacking. "Ushijima-kun, you need to build more muscle, here, have some of this." She held up a piece of meat to Ushijima with her hand underneath it to prevent drips from getting on the table. Ushijima glanced back and forth between her and the piece of meat that she held. Her empty eyes that he saw on the first day still lingered, but they were warmer now. She was warming up to them. He took his chopsticks and accepted the food from her.

"(Name)-chan, you'd make a great mother." Tendou sighs.

"I was just thinking that." Semi chuckles nervously. Ohira nods. They began to understand why the junior high students loved her so much. She probably babied them much like this. She gave them a wry smile.

"You're not the first to say that." Ohira, Yamagata, and Semi became immensely more comfortable with (Name) after seeing her be that gentle. Ushijima continued to stare over at her as she continued to make small talk with the rest of the team. His legs became slightly restless as he watched her smile. She was becoming more and more interesting each day.


	9. Practice Game

The bus ride to the practice match was interesting, to say the least. (Name) could feel the eyes of the upperclassmen that were accompanying the first years to round out the team on her as she sat with the other first years. Ushijima was looking over (Name)'s shoulder at some notes that she had made about his jump serve next to her. Her fingertips gently brush against the paper as she begins to further clarify her script. Ushijima didn't think she had to because her handwriting was impeccable neat, but he appreciated her talking to him regardless. Tendou was facing backward and peering over the seat with a curious gaze at Ushijima and (Name). With a wave of his hand, he caught (Name)'s attention.

"Hey, (Name)-chan, what do you know about Aoba Johsai?" Ushijima flicked his gaze up towards Tendou. (Name) handed Ushijima his notes as she took out another folder. Ushijima stared at (Name) as she did so and placed the papers in his lap after giving them a quick glance. This folder was blue with white writing on it and was decorated with volleyball stickers and a bean sprout sticker. Tendou muttered under his breath something about not knowing (Name) was into cutesy stuff like that. She flips it open and begins taking out papers.

"Aoba Johsai, also known as Seijoh, is a top 4 school in Miyagi. They consistently rank high in inter-high and spring high. I would say their power has gone down recently, however, they did receive a player that is concerning." (Name) puts back one paper and takes out another. "Oikawa Tooru, an award-winning setter. He and his ace, most likely a Wing Spiker right now, Iwaizumi Hajime, have been playing together since Primary school."

"So that's where he went." Ushijima suddenly cuts in. (Name) and Tendou turns their attention towards him. Semi, Ohira, and Yamagata also listen in

"Do you know him Ushijima-kun?" He gives her a nod.

"He's an incredible setter, but he's wasting it by attending a school like Aoba Johsai. He easily could have attended Shiratorizawa, but his pride got the better of him." (Name) hummed out of acknowledgment of his statement.

The bus arrives at the large school. The imposing building was like a castle as it emitted an opposing aura. (Name) looked at the building as she unloaded some bags. Her sharp (E/C) eyes scanned the campus as she looked for signs of a volleyball team. She saw some girls jogging outside with knee pads wrapped around their ankles. She then felt a twinge in her heart. That was most likely Aoba Johsai's girls' team practicing. She gripped the bag's strap harder. She had all but forgotten the pain of having to give up playing. She wanted nothing more than to feel the stinging sensation of a spike against her hand as she breaks through an enemy block.

Ushijima saw her longing gaze, and he felt a slight pain for her. She clearly loved the sport.

Ohira was about to reach out for (Name)'s shoulder, but the coach beat him to it. His hand was comforting to her. He was like a shorter version of her grandfather if her grandfather had a demonic side.

"(L/Name)-chan, could you do me a favor and go ahead and fill the water bottles?" (Name) snapped herself out of her stupor and refocused. She looked at the elderly coach and nodded. The first years watch as she rushes off with the water bottles. They looked at one another out of concern.

As (Name) arrived at the water fountains, she promptly waves off any negative thoughts she had with a quick smack of her cheeks. The crisp sound of her palms against her cheeks mixed with the stinging sensation in her face brought her back down to earth. She had to take care of the team. She took a deep breath and unzipped the water bottle bag. She didn't notice someone approaching her from behind.

"Wow, you have quite a lot of water bottles there, mind if I fill mine before you get started on all of those?" the voice belonged to a boy, probably her age. It was smooth, deep, and rather handsome. (Name) glanced back to the owner of the voice. His brown hair was swept perfectly to one side, and his brown eyes confidently gazed at (Name). She blinked several times before moving out of his way. He thanked her and kept giving eye contact to her as he filled up his water bottle. Her cold stare didn't give him much to work with, however. "So, miss cutie, what'cha doing with all those water bottles? Are you a manager for a team?" he turns off the water fountain and begins to screw the top back onto his water bottle.

"Indeed I am." (Name) replies. She becomes a little peeved when the well-groomed boy doesn't move from in front of the water fountain. His smile has ulterior motives.

"Oh? I don't recognize you from the school, and your tracksuit's colors don't match our school's colors, so I'm guessing you're here from another school?" He asks as he begins to fiddle with the top of his water bottle. (Name) takes a deep breath to calm herself.

"You would be correct. I have responsibilities that I would like to complete. May I please fill these now?"

"Oh! Of course! My apologies!" He shifts to the side but continues to stand with (Name) as she fills the water bottles. "So, what school are you here with? What's your name?"

"(L/name)." a familiar voice beckoned. (Name) lifted her head up to see Ushijima standing with a menacing aura. She was relieved to see him, but the vibe he emitted slightly scared her. (Name) could feel Ushijima's competitive nature seep through, but it was soon clashing with the well-kept boy's personality as well. (Name) was right in the middle of two very strong-willed athletes.

"Ushiwaka! You know miss cutie here?" he smiled brightly at (Name) "Don't tell me she's your manager?" Ushiwaka?

"Quit fooling around Oikawa." Ushijima harshly bites back. (Name) takes the opportunity to continue filling water bottles. She had a feeling that a standoff was about to take place.

"Hmm, glad to see that Shiratorizawa accepted our proposition for a practice match. I wanted to see if you've improved any because I sure have." He began to boast.

"I don't plan on losing if that's what you're trying to gauge." He then tilted his head forward to intensify his gaze "Shiratorizawa is the stronger team."

"We'll see about that." Oikawa sneered. He fully dropped his pretty boy act. He bared his teeth and showed his ugly competitive side. (Name) had heard of Oikawa's nasty personality, and his disgusting habit of hiding it. Ushijima had a very similar competitive personality, but at least he didn't try and hide it. "By the way miss cutie, what's your name? You never told me. Can I have your number?" as he asked (Name) those questions, he observed Ushijima's reactions. He gauges his subtle expressions and facial twitches.

"(L/Name) (Name). And I am uncomfortable with giving you my number. I have to get these water bottles back to my team." (Name) says coldly as she slides the last water bottle back into the giant bag. "Ushijima-kun, you should be stretching. I can help you when we get back to the gym." (Name) speaks in a softer tone when addressing Ushijima. He takes notice and nods to her.

"Do you need me to carry the water bottles?" He asks as they began to walk away from Oikawa, ignoring his pouting.

"No, I've got it. Thank you though."

"Whaaa, Ushiwaka, you're so lucky to have a cute manager like (Name)-chan helping you!" Oikawa whines. Ushijima flinches slightly. There it was again. Someone else using (Name)'s given name without being given permission. It bothered him. He glances over at (Name) who ignored it. He calmed himself and took after (Name)'s example.


	10. Sleepy Manager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A once withered eagle rests it's head against a white wing.

"Sounds like you had quite the adventure at the water fountains!" Yamagata comments as (Name) pushes on Ushijima and Tendou's backs to fully stretch them.

"It kinda was. I hope more water fountain adventures don't happen in the future. It was kind of awkward, to be honest." (Name) chuckled slightly. Ohira nods as an upperclassman laughs

"Hey if our precious little manager is getting harassed at the water fountain, we'll just send some first years with her. Ushijima'll probably be enough" The upperclassman laughs. Another elbows him in the stomach.

"Dude!" he whispered, "You're totally trying to cheat the bet!"

"We never made any agreement that said I couldn't encourage them!" the other whispered back. Ushijima listened and sighed.

"Something wrong Ushijima-kun? Is something Oikawa said getting to you?" (Name) questioned. She slid her hand up to his shoulder. He felt his legs get restless again.

"It's nothing (Name). Please continue to help the others." He lifted himself from the ground and walked over to where he could spike. (Name) looked up with great concern for the ace in training. Oikawa Tooru seemed to greatly agitate the tall first year, and (Name) could see why. He wasn't the most likable of people from what she's seen,

As the first years line up on the court, Aoba Josai soon realizes that this was a way to test the first string first years. Only a few upperclassmen were playing to round out the team. The rest were practicing independently at the school. To say the least, Seijoh was pissed. Their angry glares could burn holes in the net. Ushijima's cold stare seemed to be the only thing from keeping the net from igniting. (Name) sat peacefully next to the coach and the teacher adviser. Everything looked ready to begin.

"Yoo-hoo! (Name)-chan! Watch me, okay?" (Name) heard from the Seijoh side. She looked over to see Oikawa waving at her. She blinks, then focuses her attention back on her team. She jumps slightly when she notices a dark aura being emitted from the first year boys.

"You dumbass! Focus!"

"Ow! Iwa-chan!" (Name) glanced over once again to Seijoh to see the upperclassmen grimacing at Oikawa as he rubs his back. She also spies a glaring first year, who she assumed to be 'Iwa-chan.'

As the first serve went over the net, the Shiratorizawa boys received it well. Yamagata was able to pass it to Semi, who then tossed for Ushijima. (Name) had seen them practice, but their flow in a game was impeccable. Some of the upperclassmen were able to get a one-touch on his spike and was scooped up by the enemy libero. (Name) had accidentally made eye contact with Oikawa, and he took it as an opportunity to wink at her.

Ushijima's next spike came down with more power than any spike he'd done before, immediately cutting through the block. Tendou Jumped as he gawked at the ace in training. Ushijima glanced over to see the redhead gawking. He raised a hand to him.

"Sorry."

"Don't mind!" Tendou smiled and waved. Oikawa clicked his tongue as Shiratorizawa rotated. (Name) couldn't help but smile as the boy who had given her so much trouble becomes frustrated.

As the practice match went on, it was clear who the superior team was, and Oikawa's true nature shined through to (Name). (Name) also began to see something in Ushijima that made her feel... odd.

Aoba Johsai had called a timeout. Shiratorizawa had a healthy lead and the coach seemed satisfied. He had nothing to say to his first years other than to keep it up and keep receiving. (Name) then noticed Tendou repeatedly extending and retracting his fingers.

"Tendou-san, are you alright?" She asks sweetly. He looks up at his concerned, motherly manager. The other first years also peered over.

"Yeah, I've just been blocking a lot (Name)-chan," He continued to extend and retract his fingers. She pouted. "Eh?! Why are you making that face?!"

"(L/Name)-chan?" Ohira questioned.

"If your fingers hurt, you better tell me, Tendou." The way she pouted made Ushijima's legs feel restless again. "I'd rather take care of them now before you get severely hurt. I don't like it when any of you get hurt." She admits. The coach smiles behind her. He was glad she caught it before Tendou injured his fingers.

"Yeah, they're kinda on the verge of hurting I guess..." He admits, and (Name) picks up her bag. She rustles around inside the bag before pulling out some medical tape.

"Let's try taping them to help stabilize them. Your fingers are thin, so it's possible that by wrapping them we can make them a little more sturdy." she begins wrapping Tendou's fingers.

"Okay mom." he joked. Once she was done, they headed back out to the court. Tendou leaned over to Ushijima and whispered to him. "Hey, don't worry by the way, she's all yours. I have my eyes on someone else!" he waved his newly taped hand to emphasize his point. Ushijima looked at him with a perplexed look.

"I don't follow. She's the entire team's manager." He replied with a cool head, but his legs became restless again.

"Sure sure," Tendou had a smile lining his face. Semi elbowed him and whispered to Tendou.

"Don't tease him, Tendou!"

"What? I had to let him know!" Ohira and Yamagata grimace from the back. The upperclassmen give each other a knowing look.

As the game finished up, Oikawa seemed displeased. He couldn't beat Ushijima. He cursed as he glared Ushijima down. Ushijima countered with a cold stare. (Name) walked over to Semi, who was finally comfortable with talking to her casually.

"Should I break them up?" she asks the young setter. He gives her a wry smile.

"I don't know, I wouldn't want our manager to get caught in the crossfi-" As Semi was completing that sentence, Oikawa's voice cuts through.

"Yoo-hoo! (Name)-chan!" Oikawa ran over to the Shiratorizawa manager "I've been heartbroken ever since you rejected me! But I'm not gonna give up! Here, I want you to have this." he grabs her hands and slips in a piece of paper. Semi gawked and glared at the nerve of this guy. Not only did he interrupt a conversation, he was doing this right in front of him! Not to mention Ushijima! Was he for real?!

"Cheeky guy..." Tendou sneered. Ohira gave Tendou an ironic smile

"That's a lot coming from you..."

"Oikawa-san, I acknowledge your tenacity, but-" (Name) was interrupted by a tall boy walking in front of her, and blocked her from Oikawa.

"She's already said no. Please leave her be." Ushijima says sternly as he stares down Oikawa once again. (Name) furrowed her brow as she looked up at Ushijima. She was worried. An upperclassman, however, couldn't resist this chance he got. He pulls out his phone and snaps a quick picture of the up and coming ace protecting the little manager. Tendou took notice of this and began pestering him for the photo.

"Ushijima-kun, we need to leave." (Name) placed her hand on his arm, causing him to turn and look at her. Her big, gorgeous eyes looked up at him with some concern. He stared for a moment before nodding and walking away with (Name).

"Remember to call me (Name)-chan!" Oikawa called out again as he attempted to rile up Ushijima, but the entire team of first years ended up glaring. He was getting to be annoying.

"Dumbass, Let's go!" Iwaizumi grabbed his collar and dragged him away.

On the bus, (Name) let out a sigh of relief. She didn't have to deal with that Oikawa character for a while. The boys loaded in, and even though Ushijima didn't need to go over any notes with her, he sat next to (Name) anyways. She questioned it at first, but she figured he was sitting there out of habit.

"Did you see anything I could improve upon in my jump serve today?" He asks her suddenly. She looks up at him and gives a bit of a smile. Of course, that's what he's here for.

"You're getting there. You have trouble with power still, but fine tuning power will most likely always be difficult for you." She replies. He blinks and nods. "Is that all you needed from me?"

"I can't think of anything else to ask you if that's what you're implying." He replies. She smiles and relaxes against the back of her seat. She feels her eyes become heavy as she falls asleep on the bus ride back.

Tendou peers over his seat to see (Name) sleeping peacefully next to Ushijima. Her head begins to slide along the back of the seat. Tendou placed his hands against his cheek in an 'awww' fashion and pointed down to (Name) to catch the other first years' attention. Semi, Ohira, and Yamagata then peered over themselves to catch a glimpse of (Name). She was just as graceful sleeping as she was awake. Ushijima looked up at his teammates and tilted his head. (Name) was just sleeping, he didn't understand what the big deal-

Suddenly, he felt pressure on his shoulder. His eyes widened as he looked over to see that a bump in the road shifted the sleeping (Name) over onto his shoulder. He could only stare at her as she leaned on him. He was frozen in place. Tendou began to silently freak out. He began waving his hands around as if to say

'Is this for real?! Is this really happening?! Are you guys seeing this?!' Semi and Ohira look up at Tendou and nod. Yamagata began moving his arms about as well. His arms were stiff.

"What are the first years freaking out about?" an upperclassman asks as he looks onto the chaos.

"Who knows. They can be weirder than they look sometimes." They turn back forward as the first years continue to freak out. Tendou, however, stops for a second. Yamagata, who's sitting next to him, peers over at what Tendou is doing.

Tendou digs in his bag quickly and pulls out his phone. Yamagata flinches. Now?! Of all times?! Tendou lifted his hand as if to say

'Just watch' He then opened the camera app on his phone and pointed it directly at the sleeping (Name) leaning on Ushijima's shoulder. Ushijima immediately noticed Tendou's antics and glared. He couldn't do much, however, as he did not want to disturb (Name). Semi and Ohira gave him a 'really Tendou?' look as well, but Tendou continued taking pictures. He had a satisfied look on his face as he looked up at Semi and Ohira. He then pointed at his phone as if to ask

'You want me to send the pictures to you?' He then begins tapping away at his phone before 4 phones buzz. Ushijima pulled out his phone to see that Tendou had started a new group chat with the first years (minus (Name)) with the picture he had taken. They all gave Tendou an exasperated look. Tendou begins tapping on his phone again. 4 phones buzz again.

7:36 From Ushijima: This was unnecessary.

7:37 From Semi: I don't think (L/Name)-chan will approve of this...

7:37 From Yamagata: Okay, but what do we do now? do we wake her up? do we wait until we get back?

7:38 From Ohira: I say let (L/name) sleep. She's worked hard, but if you want to move her Ushijima, you can. It is your shoulder

7:38 From Ushijima: She's fine for now.

The boys began to calm down as (Name) drifted deeper into slumber. There was a silent agreement between the first year boys that none of them would make any excessive noise. Ushijima would occasionally glance over at the peaceful manager. Tendou took notice and smirked. Yamagata grimaced at him.

A sudden shiver wracks (Names) body as she curls up.

7:48 From Ushijima: Do any of you have a blanket? (L/name) shook.

7:48 From Tendou: AWWWWWWW big ol wakatoshi s worried

buuuut no i dont have one

7:49 From Semi: Im fraid not

7:49 From Yamagata: nope

7:50 From Ohira: no

Ushijima looked over to the curled up manager and took a deep breath through his nose. He carefully removed his jacket as to not disturb (Name) and then carefully draped the fabric over her. Tendou peered over once again and internally squealed. He took a quick picture before sending it out to the group chat.

Once the bus had made it back to Shiratorizawa, (Name) woke up. She was groggy and stared blankly off into the distance. She didn't notice at first the large volleyball jacket draped over her.

"(Name)-chan, Hello? Anyone home?" Tendou waved his hands in front of her face.

"Warm..." she whispers. Ushijima becomes restless again.

"Does she live in the dorms? Maybe we can just walk her home." Semi suggested as he grabbed Tendou's floppy wrist to stop his waving.

"Yeah, she does." Tendou replies as he rips his hand away "I've seen her in the stairwell before. We can probably just walk her back." as they turn back to face her, they notice (Name) is once again asleep as she leans up against the wall and sits on the floor. The first years stare at their manager.

"... Is... Is this really the same girl we were afraid of at the beginning of the year?" Ohira questions.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Semi replies.

"How are we gonna get her back though?" Yamagata furrowed his brows. (Name) was too cute for any of them to wake up. Tendou donned a wicked smile, and suddenly everyone was uneasy.

"Wakatoshi! You're the ace in training, consider it training!" Tendou looked at Ushijima expectantly. Ushijima tilted his head. "Carry (Name)-chan back to the dorms." The rest of the team began to gawk. Was Tendou for real?!

"Okay." WAS USHIJIMA FOR REAL?!

"Wait wait wait, does she have her dorm key on her? I don't want to dig through her stuff..." Semi sweats and looks over at the other first years.

"I don't want to dig through her stuff either!" Ohira protests. Yamagata furiously shakes his head. Ushijima places his finger to his lips and looks over to the sleeping (Name). The other first years quieted down. They didn't want to wake her.

"We can bring her back to one of our dorms and wait for her to wake up fully," Tendou suggests. "I mean, we can't leave her here, right?" Tendou whispers as he looks over at (Name) curling up once more. Ushijima sighed as he walks over and gently picks up (Name). Tendou quickly whips out his phone and takes a copious amount of pictures.

"I'll make sure these make it into your wedding album" He gives a wide smile. Ushijima only stares and blinks.

"We should leave." Ushijima states as he walks out the doors. Tendou follows after him with his phone out in camera mode. The rest of the first years sigh and walk to follow them.


	11. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The subtle sheen of the golden eagle's feathers catches the eye of a great white raptor.

(Name) began to stir. Her eyes flutter open as she begins to look around. She lifts herself up from the bed she was laying on. She looks around the unfamiliar room. The walls were almost bare, spare for a few volleyball posters. The sheets she was on were very soft, and the curtains looked to be of high quality. Her eyes drifted to look outside. Darkness had engulfed the campus. She continues to scan the room and spies the school-issued desk in the room. As she looks closer at the desk, she notices Ushijima sleeping at his desk. (Name)'s eyes widen as she begins to piece together what must have happened. The last thing she remembers was telling Ushijima her notes on his jump serve. That was on the bus... THE BUS. She must have fallen asleep. Did Ushijima carry her here? (Name) began to blush slightly.

The door to Ushijima's room opens, causing him to stir. Ohira sticks his head in to check on (Name).

"Oh! You're awake (Name)!" Ohira smiles. Ushijima's head shoots up and immediately lands his gaze on (Name).

"Where am I?" (Name) began to rub her eyes.

"My side of Ohira and I's shared dorm." (Name) became slightly flushed.

"How did I get here?"

"I carried you. We didn't want to dig through your things or wake you." He says flatly. (Name) became a little more flushed. Suddenly, Tendou stumbles in, despite the efforts of Semi.

"(Name)-chan! You're awake!" He says excitedly

"Are you all here?" (Name) asks with furrowed brows. Semi soon pokes his head in along with Yamagata. Semi waves. (Name) smiles. They all waited for her to wake up.

"You were out for a while (L/Name)-san," Semi says as he steps further into the room.

"(Name)."

"Huh?" the boys looked at her perplexed. (Name) looks up and gives a bright smile. Her smile makes Ushijima's legs restless again.

"Call me (Name). All of you." Tendou smiled and huffed.

"Already done!" Ushijima glances at Tendou

"Yes, but you actually have permission from her now." Tendou pouted at him before looking back over at (Name)

"You can call me Satori if you want then (Name)!" Tendou proclaimed proudly as he sits down on the floor. Semi grimaces. He can't be outdone by Satori.

"Call me Eita. It would be awkward if we're on a one-sided given name basis!" He gives a kind smile.

"Leon. I feel the same as Eita."

"It's Hayato." Yamagata relaxes. Suddenly there were ten pairs of eyes on Ushijima. He blinks with a straight face before focusing on (Name).

"If you want to call me Wakatoshi, you can (Name)-chan" His legs became more restless. "You haven't eaten yet. You should go to the dining hall." He states. It was more of a demand then it was a request.

"What time is it?" (Name) asks. Satori whips out his phone and pushes the power button on the side to activate the screen. A picture of an anime character lights up his background.

"9:02, we still got 2 hours before the dining hall closes." He was waiting for (Name) to ask a certain, motherly question.

"Have you all eaten yet?" there it is. Hayato, Eita, Leon, and Satori all sweat. (Name)'s motherly instincts are nothing short of amazing.

"No. We were waiting for you. Let's go." Wakatoshi stands from his desk.

"We should let (Name)-chan change first," Leon lightly argued. Wakatoshi blinked, then nodded.

"I have spare clothes in my bag." (Name) smiles. She swings her legs over the edge of the tall bed and slides off the soft sheets. "So, where's my bag?" (Name) looks up at Wakatoshi. Her eyes are bursting with more life than he's ever seen before. He began to feel restless once again. Hayato raised one finger as if to say 'hold on' and ducked out of the room.

"You passed out on the bus (Name)-chan! You must have been tired!"

"There was someone in particular who was draining..." (Name) pouted slightly. She then lifted her head in realization and stuffed her hand into her pocket.

"Oh yeah, that guy gave you his number, didn't he?" Satori grimaced along with Eita.

"Did he? Did you look at it?" Leon interjects. (Name) walks over to the group and sits down in the middle of them and opens the paper.

"Son of a bitch actually did it..." Satori gawked. Leon reached over and made a 'may I?' gesture at the paper. (Name) handed the paper over to Leon. Wakatoshi also looked over Leon's shoulder. The paper was covered in cutesy doodles of hearts and stars. Not only was there a phone number, but an email as well.

"(Name)-chan, here's your bag." Hayato comes back in.

"Thank you." She replies and takes the bag from the libero.

"You can change in my bathroom." Wakatoshi points to his bathroom. Each dorm has 2 separate rooms, each with their own bathroom. There is a common room uniting the two rooms along with a kitchenette. (Name) thanks Wakatoshi, enters and shuts his bathroom door.

"Man, I'm tempted to screw with this guy." Satori looks at the overly doodled on paper.

"If you want it Satori-san, keep it. I was gonna throw it out." (Name) called through the thin door. Satori mischievously smiles and tucks it away in his pocket. Satori then looks up at his roommate, Eita.

"We're gonna have fun with that number."

"Can't say I'll participate, but I'll watch." He smirks. Hayato begins fidgeting and trying to see over Eita's shoulders out of curiosity. (Name) then comes out of the bathroom with her tracksuit stuffed into her bag. Her casual clothes were just a simple skirt that went to her knees and a sweater that hung off one of her shoulders. Wakatoshi felt restless once again. He had been feeling more restless recently and he didn't know why.

"Welp! (Name)-chan's ready! Let's go eat!" Satori quickly stands up and shoves the number in his pocket. Wakatoshi watched (Name) closely as she nodded and walked towards his bedroom door. The sway of her skirt was intoxicating. Wakatoshi quickly shook himself out of it and followed the rest of the first-year volleyball team to the dining hall.

The dining hall was less packed than it usually was. Seats were sporadically filled and the chatter was lower. Luckily, there seemed to be enough food left over where there was something there that everyone enjoyed. The entire first-year squad of the volleyball team could feel their manager's analytical eyes as she observed everything they ate.

"More of this, right?" Eita questioned as he lifted some food. (Name) nodded.

"Thanks, mom!" Satori laughed. (Name) raises a brow at him.

"You're welcome I guess...son?" she jokes.

"You don't have to humor him (Name)-chan" Leon pats her shoulder. Wakatoshi noticed a twinge inside him. What was happening? It first happened with Oikawa, but now Leon? This shouldn't be happening. (Name) was happy, why was he getting upset?

Satori side-eyed Wakatoshi. He began to observe the subtle facial expressions that he had as he stared at (Name). Satori smiled. Wakatoshi was allowing himself to be read like a book. He probably had no idea though.

"Wakatoshi-kun," her gentle voice cut through his thoughts. He looks up at her concerned eyes and becomes restless again. "Is everything alright?" Satori gave a mischievous smile. Eita noticed the smile of his roommate and became worried.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, (Name)-san." Ushijima looks down at his food and begins eating again.


	12. Tea Party Panic

Wakatoshi laid on the couch that Leon and he had in their common space while he wore more comfortable pajamas. He was glaring at the ceiling. (Name) had gone back to her dorm. He didn't like it. Leon came out of his bathroom after showering and spotted the boy.

"Wakatoshi-san?" Wakatoshi snapped out of his daze and looked over at his roommate. Leon had a look of concern. Wakatoshi never just glared at the ceiling. He would either be looking at a book or tossing a ball to himself. "Is something the matter?" Leon walked over and sat in one of the bean bag chairs they shared. "There we go," he grunts as he sits down. This caught Wakatoshi's attention.

"Don't say that around Satori. He'll call you an old man."

"By pointing it out, you're kinda doing it too..." Wakatoshi blinks, then stares back up at the ceiling. "So what's bugging you?"

"It's (Name). She makes me feel restless."

"(Name)-chan?" Leon placed his hand on his chin. He takes out his phone in hopes that one of the other first years would have any idea of why Wakatoshi would have this problem. With a quick typing, the message was sent. Leon then focused his attention back on his roommate. "What about (Name)-chan makes you restless? Did she do something wrong?"

"No."

"Then what did she do?"

"I don't know." Leon was getting nowhere. There was a sudden scratching at their door. Leon hoped to god that Satori wasn't the first one to arrive. He lifted himself from the bean bag chair and made his way to the door. He took a deep breath and opened the door to reveal Satori in all his Otaku glory. Thank god Eita was behind him.

"Sup!" Satori chugged the last of a can of soda before tossing it into the trash.

"I tried to stop him." Eita rubbed his eye.

"No Hayato?" As soon as those words left Leon's mouth, the shorter libero comes bursting through the stairwell. He was breathing heavily.

"There he is." Satori jokes. Wakatoshi notices the company and sits up on the couch. He stares blankly at his volleyball team.

"So. she makes you feel restless?" Satori folded his arms as he walked in. his once spiked up hair was let down and covered some of his eyes. Hayato's slicked back hair was also let down. Eita let himself in with Hayato and sat on the floor. Wakatoshi glanced at Satori.

"I don't know how to explain it." He admits. He was letting himself be surprisingly vulnerable.

"I do!" Satori suddenly exclaims. "You like her!" He sang in a sing-song tone as he moved his index fingers back and forth. The rest of the team stares at Satori with an intense gaze. Eita narrowed his eyes at his roommate.

"Are you sure you aren't just trying to start drama?"

"Now why would I do that?" Satori smiled. "But seriously, Wakatoshi. You have a crush. Congrats!" he then began to wave his hands around as if to enhance the moment. Wakatoshi stared at him. He takes a minute to process what Satori has said. The volleyball boys then became concerned.

"Wakatoshi?...Wakatoshi-kun... Ushijima?" Leon called out to him. Wakatoshi then stood up and headed towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"To tell (Name)."

"NOOO!" The boys call out as they drag their future ace back into the dorm room. His eyes widen as they all grab a limb and tug the large volleyball player back in.

"Why not? I don't see a reason for keeping it secret." He reasons with them. Eita grimaces and pulls at his face.

"I know you aren't one to beat around the bush, but what if she rejects your feelings and doesn't ever want to talk to you again?" Wakatoshi then freezes. "Yeah, there you go, now you're fearful." Leon sighs

"Well, you just gotta do what everyone does who has a crush." Wakatoshi focused his attention on his roommate. "Keep it a secret from the object of your affection and hope to god you can somehow make her like you back."

"Well, at least we spend a lot of time with her, so you'll have a lot of chances, right?" Hayato says hesitantly. Eita nodded with his statement.

"Don't worry Wakatoshi-kun! All of us will help you!" Satori roughly patted Wakatoshi's back. He didn't understand his feelings at first, and that frustrated him. He wanted to ask (Name) about them. He wanted to know, but at the same time, he didn't know how she would react.

That frightened him.

"Well, we have 3 years with her, so you have time," Leon spoke up once again. "Here, let's calm down a little. Do you want tea? I can brew some."

"What are you, 80?" Satori teased.

"I actually want tea. That sounds nice" Eita jumps in

"Of course you do. With the way you dress, I'm not surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Eita yells at his roommate as Satori sticks his tongue out at him. Hayato covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. Leon sighs as he gets up to brew tea.

Wakatoshi sits back on the couch and takes out his phone. He opens the group chat that Satori had started without (Name), the one he's been stuffing photos into. He gazes at the ones where (Name) is in close proximity to him. Her sleeping face is peaceful. He wondered if she was asleep right now.

"You know, one way of getting closer to her is texting her," Satori smirks. Wakatoshi gazes at him blankly before opening his texting app and sending a quick message. "Oh god, he actually did it!"

"Satori what did you tell him to do!?" Eita almost dropped his mug as he rushed over.

"Text her? That's it! I didn't say 'pour your heart out' or anything!" Eita looked over at what Wakatoshi was typing.

11:13 From Wakatoshi: Are you awake?

"Okay, that isn't a terrible thing to text, let's see what she says next..." Eita then hands his cup of tea to Satori so he can sit down and look over Wakatoshi's shoulder. He was invested in this now. Satori being nosey, however, hands off the tea to Hayato before joining the couch as well.

"Looks like this texting situation is a team operation now..." Hayato comments as he looks back at Leon. Leon only shrugs at him.

"SHE REPLIED!" Satori shrieked.

11:15 From (Name): Can you not sleep? Are you okay?

"Why am I not surprised that she's more concerned about your well being than she is about why you're texting her..." Eita sighs as he tries to think of a response

"That's mom for you..." Satori looked over with raised eyebrows. Leon and Hayato look on with confused looks.

11:16 From Wakatoshi: Can't sleep. Other than that, fine.

"You're doing remarkably well, Wakatoshi..." Eita comments as he reaches over at Hayato to bring him his tea. The libero obliges and hands him one of the mugs he was holding. The phone Wakatoshi was holding buzzes again. He opens the lock screen to see that (Name) had replied once again.

11:16 From (Name): I have some relaxation tea that I can bring down. Do you

like tea?

Wakatoshi stares at the screen for a little before looking up at the people staring over his shoulder. Eita and Satori glanced at each other before speaking.

"I mean if you say yes, you get to see her again before the night is over. The only problem is that we're all here." Eita points out.

"Say yes! You're getting attention from (Name)-chan! Just, don't spill the beans on your crush, got it?"

"Okay, but isn't it suspicious that the ENTIRE first year part of the volleyball team's first string is here?" Eita doesn't notice Wakatoshi typing on his phone.

"But it's a chance for Wakatoshi! Don't you see?" Satori argues back

"A chance for what!? Her to be awkward with all of us in here while Wakatoshi-kun projects his silent crush on her?"

"Well, maybe you aren't thinking of enough solutions to this problem!"

"It's like a shoulder angel and shoulder devil..." Hayato comments to Leon as he takes a sip of tea. The large wing Spiker agrees as he takes a sip as well.

A sudden knock on the door silences everyone cold. Eita and Satori look down at Wakatoshi's phone to see that he had been texting.

11:18 From Wakatoshi: Yes.

11:19 From (Name): ok I can bring some down

"IT'S (NAME)!" Eita whispers harshly. "What do we do!?"

"Hide!" Satori Whispers harshly back. "We'll hide on Leon's side!" Eita and Satori then scoop up the libero, tea and all, and rush into Leon's side of the dorm. Leon sighs as he walks into his side and gives Wakatoshi a thumbs up before dipping into his room and shutting the door. Wakatoshi takes a deep breath before walking over to the door and opening it, revealing a slightly sleepy (Name) with a few tea bags. Her pajama pants were covered in (F/Animal) faces and her t-shirt hung on her body. Her hair cascaded around her face.

"May I come in?" her voice was soft. Wakatoshi moved aside to let her in. "Any idea why you can't sleep?" he knew full well.

"No. could just be I didn't wear myself out enough today."

"I see." She smiled. Her sleepy eyes were almost dreamy. "Did Leon go to bed?"

"He did." there was a silent sigh from Leon's side.

"Good, you guys should get as much rest when possible." her light footsteps barely made a sound. "Do you have a way of making tea?"

"Leon has a hot water maker. We use it for everything."

"I see. My roommate has a coffee maker that I use for hot water, but sometimes she forgets to clean it." (Name) talks idly. "So do you have enough mugs? I would like a cup too if that's not too much to ask."

"Not at all, we should have plenty," he states as he begins looking in cupboards, but soon realizes that the hiding first years have most of the mugs, leaving only one in the cupboard.

"Ah... I can go get one of mine If that's okay..."

"Leon probably just has one in his room. I can get it and wash it." On Leon's side, they suddenly realize the problem. As Wakatoshi ensures her that Leon definitely has one and it will only take a minute to wash, they are trying to silently fix it.

'Someone give up their tea!' Eita harshly whispers, hoping (Name) doesn't hear.

'Who's the furthest along?' Satori looks around

'I think Hayato is!' Leon points at the libero. Hayato has his mouth on the lip of the cup. He pouts as he looks up at the other first years.

'But... it's a nice cup of tea...'

'JUST CHUG IT HAYATO!' Satori takes the mug and shoves it to Hayato's face and tilts it upwards. The shortest of the first years does his best to drink quickly, but most of the tea is spilled on his shirt.

Wakatoshi slips into Leon's side without letting (Name) see the inside after finally convincing her that she doesn't need to go all the way back to her dorm. 

Once the cup is empty, Leon hands it to Wakatoshi. Wakatoshi then slips out and rejoins (Name).

'I will never forgive you for that Satori-san.' Hayato does his best to silently catch his breath. 'My shirt is soaked.' he whispers.

'Just take it off then. You can borrow one of mine for right now.' Leon suggests as he tosses the tea soaked Libero a shirt.

'Shhhh, they're talking again!' Eita hushed them.

"Oh, so Leon did have one!" (Name) smiled as Wakatoshi began washing the mug that Hayato was once enjoying tea from. Wakatoshi only smiled at her. She was half right.

"He enjoys tea as well."

"Mmm, that almost makes sense for him." Leon grimaces. What was it about him that made him seem like an old man...

'That was good tea...' Hayato whines.

'I can make you some more later! Stop whining!' Leon lightly scolds. They then hear the sink stop. Wakatoshi must be done washing the mug and filling the hot water maker.

"Do you have a lot of teas like this?"

"My grandmother and her old medicine. She believes there's a tea for everything." (Name) begins to unwrap the tea bags.

"Ah." Wakatoshi presses the button on the hot water maker. It begins making loud, whirring noises.

"I hope that doesn't wake up Leon," (Name) comments. Wakatoshi looks gently at (Name) as if to reassure her.

"He'll be fine. He doesn't wake easily" Can't wake up someone who's already awake. Satori lets out a small sigh and crinkles his nose.

'He needs to take bigger steps than this, he's gonna get nowhere with this!'

'It's either jumping straight in or taking tiny baby steps with Wakatoshi, I'd rather he take the baby steps!' Eita argued back. Satori pouted as he placed his ear to the door again.

"So are you ready for your high school debut?" (Name) asks after she blows on her tea. "Interhigh is coming up. Do you feel ready?"

"Do you?" Wakatoshi asks back. (Name) takes a sip of the tea as she sits on the couch in Wakatoshi's common room. Wakatoshi joins her by sitting on the opposite end.

"That's a good question. Usually, around this time I'm much more excited..." she stops herself. Wakatoshi looks her in the eye and waits for her to continue. "You're lucky Wakatoshi... you get to play the sport you love. You get to play without holding back. You get to have a team..." she slinks her back into the couch.

'Why isn't he moving closer! This would be a perfect time to move closer!' Satori whispers. Eita clenches his teeth and whispers back

'Baby. steps.'

"Sorry, I should probably explain myself." (Name) began "I used to play volleyball like you do. I was the ace of the team actually." She looked down at her hands and spread them out "I got best ace award, and I got to go to nationals. It was fun, I look back at that as some of the best times of my life... but..." Her hand fell to her lap and she began to grip her right knee "My knee began to hurt one day. It didn't feel right, and jumping became worrisome to me. It felt wrong in some way. So, I went to the doctor... They told me my knee was falling apart. There wasn't anything I could do except keep excessive stress off of it... So I stopped playing the sport I loved."

"Was there anything else you could do?" Wakatoshi leaned in slightly but kept a comfortable distance.

"Besides a surgery that would put me in a wheelchair for a few months and physical therapy for even longer... not really. I didn't want to go through that in high school. Especially not while attending a school like Shiratorizawa." (Name) smiles a bittersweet smile. "I probably would have had to put my education on hold, and after meeting the team, I don't want to do that." She made a slight glance towards Leon's door, but she kept most of her attention on Wakatoshi. "I want to be with you guys for as long as possible. I want to help as much as I can." Wakatoshi leans towards (Name) with a serious face.

"I'll make sure we play for as long as possible then. Enough for both of us." Wakatoshi states. His straight face sends chills down (Name)'s back. (Name) smiles with tears in her eyes. "(Name)-chan? Why are you crying?" Wakatoshi stares at her with wide eyes.

"No, I just realized that time when I was in the stairs, You and Satori were coming down and heading to the gym for some unofficial practice. You both found me. Satori knew I was lying when I said I was fine, and when I tried to put up a wall and I told you it was none of your concern, you told me that I was part of the team... at the time, I thought you were making fun of me, but you meant it." (Name)'s tears spilled over and fell onto the couch. "You barely knew me, but you cared for me." with her spare hand, (Name) attempted to wipe away all the tears that had fallen. Wakatoshi then offered his own hand as he touched her face. "What did I do? To get a team like you guys...You've all been wonderful"

Behind Leon's door, they all held back tears. The manager that they had become so close to was praising them like they were gifts from God. Snot dribbled out of their noses as they couldn't hold back their tears.

"I'm sure they would be honored to hear you compliment them like that."

"Oh I know they're in Leon's room. They can come out now." (Name) takes a tearful sip of tea. "It was obvious when I saw a can of Satori's favorite soda in the trash." as soon as those words left (Name)'s mouth, the first years burst forth from Leon's room and swarmed (Name). Wakatoshi could only look on as Hayato, Eita, and Satori hug (Name) as tightly as they possibly could. Leon wiped off his face and sighed as the setter, Libero, and middle blocker all gripped their manager as hard as they possibly could.

"They seem pleased," Wakatoshi says flatly. (Name) let out a giggle, causing a warm feeling to bubble up in Wakatoshi. He became restless again.

"Do you want to join Wakatoshi? Leon?" (Name) asks sweetly. The boys who initiated the hug turned their head to Wakatoshi and made space just for him. He flinched, then blushed slightly, but he tamed it quickly.

Leon placed a hand on Wakatoshi's back as he pushed him in. (Name) was now up against his chest, sandwiched between the rest of the team. (Name) was so close to him, and that's where he wanted her to stay, but the moment was short-lived.

"Alright, kids, curfew. Head back to your own dorms." An RA called to them. They lifted their heads and looked at the time.

12:00. (Name) gave a bittersweet smile, but she knew she'd see them tomorrow.

"Alright, we better get to bed then." (Name) pulls herself away and begins to push Hayato, Satori, and Eita out with her. "Everybody rest up, alright? I don't want any of you to be tired at practice tomorrow!" Leon smiled. There she was again. There was mom. "Good night Leon, Wakatoshi," She gave a smile to Wakatoshi before making her way out with the other three. The RA shut the door behind them, and Leon looked over at Wakatoshi.

"Well? You're smiling a little." Leon points out. Wakatoshi lets the blush cover his cheeks. "Feel a little better at least? I think that improved your relationship a whole lot" Leon leans against a wall as Wakatoshi picks up (Name)'s leftover tea. Leon couldn't help but tease slightly. "If you drink from that, it'll be an indirect kiss." Wakatoshi suddenly chugs the tea down, causing Leon to jump. "That wasn't a challenge!" Leon scolds, but Wakatoshi ignores him. He then places the empty cup in the sink. Wakatoshi let out a breath as he looked towards the door where (Name) once stood. He then made a realization.

"Was Hayato-san wearing your shirt by the way?"

"It's a bit of a story..."


	13. Closer

The next day, (Name) was in a fantastic mood. As she was about to leave her dorm, Wakatoshi caught her and walked with her.

"You excited?" She asks the up and coming ace.

"I want to play." He replies. She smiles and walks down the stairwell with him. She knew that was probably the most excitement she would get out of him without an opponent in front of him.

"Morning practice will probably be light. I can't imagine the coach will strain you guys too much." Wakatoshi gives a grunt in response. "Tomorrow begins interhigh, after all." (Name) smiles. A fire ignites in her eyes, leaving Wakatoshi speechless. He didn't know how to react to (Name) when she was like this, and it frustrated him.

The day flew by quickly, and Wakatoshi had trouble interacting with (Name) the way he did the night before. She would run around and do favors for all the team, and he didn't know how to get her attention. Not knowing what to do frustrated him even more. He didn't like keeping secrets either, but the thought of (Name) rejecting him and not wanting to talk to him frightened him. His glare worsened that day, and it was hard for Satori not to notice. He elbowed Eita right as he was about to toss a ball, causing him to miss and the ball landing on his face.

"Do you think Wakatoshi needs another push?" Satori asks without even acknowledging what he caused. The setter clenched his fists as he took a deep breath. It took all he had at that moment to not kill his roommate. "I think Wakatoshi doesn't know how to do it..." Eita looks up at Wakatoshi before glancing at the middle blocker.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"He did really well when they were alone together..." Satori put his hand on his chin. He begins to think deeply about what to do next. "Ah... tomorrow is the interhigh prelims, so we gotta make sure they sit next to each other on the bus..." Eita sighs as he begins to spin a ball on his finger out of boredom. "But what about tonight..." Satori begins to lean to one side with his hand on his chin. His face was scrunched in concentration.

An upperclassman then approaches (Name) with a large basket. He has a wide, mischievous smile on his face as he trots over with another upperclassman behind him.

"Hey (L/name)-chan, before tomorrow, these need to be washed." The older volleyball player handed off the basket to (Name). The large basket immediately sinks in her grip "It's the uniforms. Sorry that this got dumped on you now." He then begins to point in the basket "Both uniform types are in there, so you kinda have double the laundry to do today, sorry!" the other upperclassman then peers over the first one's shoulder.

"Is it heavy (L/Name)-chan? You could probably get the first years to carry it for you."

"Yeah, only problem is that the laundry room is so small, won't fit all of them. It'll probably comfortably fit you and one of the other first years." Satori then begins to squint at his upperclassmen. What were they planning?

"Well, if you think you got it (L/name)-chan, just be careful. When we were first years, the 3rd year manager hurt herself pretty bad carrying laundry. She was walking down the stairs to the club laundry room when she fell forward." This caught Wakatoshi's attention. Satori begins to gawk at the older players.

They were setting them up to be alone!

Satori then looks over at Eita and Hayato to see if they were seeing what he was. Leon gave a bewildered look from behind (Name). With quick, heavy steps, Wakatoshi made his way over to (Name) and immediately took the basket from her hands.

Hook, line, sinker. An upperclassman gave a slight smile.

"I'll carry it for you." his flat tone was slightly aggravated. He was aggravated that the upperclassmen would just dump something so heavy on (Name) far from where it needed to be.

"You don't need to, Wakatoshi-kun..." she raised her hand slightly to him, but he turned and waited for her to follow. Her wide eyes were solely focused on him. She blinked, then nodded. She followed close behind him as they left the gym. It was a small gesture, but it made her feel cared about. It made her heart race.

As soon as they were out of hearing range, Satori whipped around and stared curiously at his upperclassmen.

"You set them up..." He says just above a mutter. Eita, Hayato, and Leon also gave a stare.

"Yup." One of the upperclassmen shrugged. "We have a bet that we gotta make sure wins"

"A-A bet!?" Leon studders.

"Yeah, We bet 1,000 yen that Ushijima will ask out (L/name) by the end of the year" he points a thumb in the direction of the aforementioned couple.

"Admit it, you were trying to get them alone too though, weren't you?" the other upperclassman points at Satori. The middle blocker grimaces and looks away.

"Regardless, consider us helping him out! I'm sure he's over the moon about being alone with (L/name)-chan right now!" the first years sigh. "Just trust your senpais!" they then turn as they chatter and leave.

Wakatoshi and (Name) make it to the laundry room. (Name) flicks the lights on and they come to life with a fluorescent hum. The small room was packed with washers and dryers, and the walls had shelving that held detergents and fabric softeners.

"You can put them down on that table, Wakatoshi." she instructs as she makes her way over to the wall of soap. The upperclassmen were right, the sports dedicated laundry room was cramped. "You should go eat Wakatoshi, this will probably take a little while..."

"I'll wait with you." He takes a small step towards her. Was he getting too close? He couldn't tell. He wanted to be closer. "I don't want you to have to carry everything back by yourself." she looked away. His eyes were intense.

"Okay, but you can leave at any time, okay?" she begins filling the machines with laundry. "Jeez, why didn't they tell me sooner? This wasn't in the manager's room..." (Name) sighs as she finishes filling one load. "That way I could have started this during practice, and not have to rush it now." Wakatoshi listened as she complained and stayed silent. "Ugh..." she filled up another load, "Looks like if I play my cards right, I should be able to get the rest of this in... 6 more. Lucky there are 3 washers." She looked at the jerseys. Their maroon coloring never failed to make those who wore the coveted jerseys look like royalty. Her eyes traced the curves of the numbers along the back of them. For an instant, she sees her old middle school jersey in them. "Hey, what number are you?"

"8."

"Ah, that should change pretty soon, knowing you." She smiles as she begins separating the home jerseys from the away jerseys. Wakatoshi gives a small smile back. "Oh I see, they stuck the pinnies in here too." (Name) began separating them as well as she kept an eye on the 3 washing machines. "Why didn't they tell me about this sooner... did you see this in the club room?"

"The basket does look familiar, but I had no idea that they needed to be washed."

"I don't blame you, I blame the upperclassmen who didn't tell me where these were. Jeez, the next time I see them I'm gonna demand a copy of the club room key." she puffed her cheeks as she pouted. "This isn't happening again." She stopped herself, and then looked at Wakatoshi. He was leaning against the dryers. "Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, it's just-" She interrupts herself by looking away. Wakatoshi raised a hand and lifted it to her shoulder.

"You don't have to say anything. I get it." His face and tone were serious, but his hand was tender. (Name) lets out a stifled breath. She felt herself step closer to him and lean into his touch. The hand that was once on her shoulder slid up slightly to her face. His other hand was about to lift to touch the small of her back, but a loud noise spooked (Name) to the opposite wall.

"(L/name)?" A familiar head peeps in. "ah, there you are. You weren't answering your phone." It was (Name)'s roommate. Wakatoshi gives a subtle, frustrated sigh as (Name) goes over to her roommate. The 3rd year's lazy eyes barely focused on (Name).

"What do you need Nana?" (Name) questioned.

"Your grandma came by. Apparently your grandpa wants to see you with your dad. Something important." (Name) tilted her head.

"Why didn't they just try emailing me? That way I could have responded to them later."

"I dunno. Your grandma was nice though. She dropped off a ton of new tea. She also dropped off a cute new dress that I'm borrowing tonight. Thanks in advance!" Nana then sprints from the laundry room.

"Wha- Nana!?" (Name) grabs the door frame as she yells out at the sprinting third year. "NANA!" (Name) groaned as she tilted her head back in exasperation. "She's always doing that..." (Name) turned back to Wakatoshi, who was staring at her with wide eyes. (Name) gives him a half-smile. "Do you want to go get food while these washers do their job?" Wakatoshi blinks and gives a nod before giving a quick answer.

"Yes."

The both of them walked to the dining hall and (Name) shot the other first years a message. Wakatoshi watched carefully over her as she read the message Eita sent her. She then presses the power button with her thumb and sticks her phone in her pocket.

"They've been waiting in the dining hall. Apparently they haven't started eating." (Name) smiles and glances up at Wakatoshi. "You guys really are the best." Wakatoshi gives a quick smile before looking forward once again. He nods as they reach the dining hall's doors.

"(Name)-chan! Wakatoshi-kun!" a familiar redhead calls as he begins furiously waving his arms to catch their attention. The other three look up and smile.

"You guys didn't have to wait! You better eat right now! You need your strength for prelims tomorrow!"

"Yes mom!" some voices were more tentative than others, but they all ended up replying to (Name) with that line. She stood frozen for a second, before melting into a smile. She would do anything for these boys.

Wakatoshi handed her a plate as if to remind her that she needed to eat as well, she gave him a softer look.

"Thank you."

After they all gather enough food, (And after (Name) scanned every plate to see if it was satisfactory) the first years grab a table and relax after a hellish day of training.

"Ever since you started giving him notes (Name)-chan, the coach has been pushing way harder at our weaknesses." Satori sighs as he picked at his food. (Name) gave him raised eyebrows and half-lidded eyes before he finally stuck a piece of food in his mouth. She was satisfied as she turned her head.

"If it will make us stronger, then it's worth it," Wakatoshi says before he takes a sip of water. Eita lets out a hum with food in his mouth before swallowing the bite he had.

"It just sucks when it happens. Looking back at it I don't mind it." Eita hesitantly placed down his utensils as he looked up at (Name). She gave him a nod and he let out a small sigh of relief.

"I'm sure we'll get more used to it as we go." Leon takes another bite of his food. He's learned what (Name) likes him to eat, so her gaze rarely lands for too long on him. (Name) soon however focuses on the boy she's been spending her afternoon with.

"Wakatoshi, you're missing some protein again. Here." (Name) picks up a piece of food off her plate and placed it directly on his. Wakatoshi stares at the food for a little bit. Wheels in his head began to turn slightly.

"By the way (Name)-chan, your roommate was looking for you earlier, did she find you?" Hayato asks with innocent curiosity. (Name) nods.

"Yes, apparently my father and grandfather wish to see me." She opens her phone quickly to see if there were any new emails. "And then Nana stole some clothes of mine. I assume she's going on a date in my clothes." (Name)'s face twitched out of annoyance. "She's like the annoying older sister I never had."

"She's a third-year, right?" Satori asks with wide eyes. (Name) nods as she opens an email from her father. Her face scrunches.

"Yeah, I have a third year as a roommate too... he's... interesting." Hayato looks to the side with a similar look that (Name) held moments earlier.

"Isn't he on the Rugby team?" Leon gave a slight laugh at the thought of Hayato's buff tormentor.

"... yes."

"Is everything okay (Name)-chan? You've been looking at your phone with that face for an awfully long time." Eita gave a concerned smile. If she wasn't careful her face would stick like that.

"Yeah. My father wants to meet with me after preliminaries tomorrow. He's being cryptic and secretive. He says Grandfather will be there too, but he didn't say why about that either." Wakatoshi tilted his head along with Satori. Hayato sweat. (Name) was so formal when she spoke of her parents and grandparents.

"Is that bad?" Leon couldn't help but ask.

"Well... the last time he and my grandfather were this cryptic about needing to see me was after I got a B+ on a test, as a result, I..." (Name) then froze up and began to shiver with a frightened, anxious look on her face.

"(N-Name)-chan!?"

"WhatDidIDoWhatDidIDoWhatDidIDoWhatDidIDoWhatDidIDoWhatDidIDo...." she began repeating as steam emited from her.

"I-I don't think you've done anything wrong though, right?" Eita attempted to calm her as she continued to shiver.

"M-Maybe it's a present?" Satori took a swing at calming her as well. Wakatoshi then chimed in as he placed a hand on her back.

"You'll live."

"Not the right words, miracle boy..."


	14. Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flightless golden eagle watches a beautiful white beast take flight.

The bus over to inter-high was mundane. The first years had huddled together in the back as they talked aimlessly, but each kept an eye on their sleepy looking manager. Wakatoshi sat next to her like he always did, but he dared not ask her about the next team they faced or advice today. She seemed exhausted.

"Hey, (Name)-chan, you feeling okay?" Hayato finally asked. She shot her head up and widened her eyes in an attempt to be more awake. The boys flinch at her display.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Don't worry, focus on preliminaries. I was just a little anxious last night..." Leon then glanced at Eita before they both gave a look to Wakatoshi. He gave them a questioning look before they looked over expectantly at (Name). He then got the picture.

"Rest if you need to (Name)." He states as he leans back against the seat "You need to be prepared as well. You can't be tired." (Name) flinches.The first years gawk at his bluntness. Not exactly what they wanted him to say, but they all calm down when they see (Name) smile. Her anxiety melted away.

"Right, sorry. I'm the manager. I can't take care of you guys if I can't take care of myself." She then digs into her bag quickly and takes out 2 folders. "Here. review these while I'm asleep. I'm going to take a quick nap." Wakatoshi takes the cutely decorated folders from (Name). She then leans up against the window and shuts her eyes and drifts off to sleep quickly.

Satori makes sure she's asleep before he gives a weird grimace to Wakatoshi.

"What?" he asks as he opens the first folder.

"That was really blunt, don't you think?" Satori then takes a paper from the folder and gives it a quick glance before deciding he'd rather see the teams in action to get a handle on their plays. Eita gladly takes the paper from the middle blocker.

"Huh?" Wakatoshi asks in a low tone.

"Telling her she can't be tired was kind of harsh is all. You did something similar yesterday when you told her 'You'll live.' She took it better than I thought though." Leon took another one of the folders and flipped it open as he scolded Wakatoshi.

"It could have damaged what you built up. It was risky, but she seems to be able to take it..." Eita grimaced and sighed.

"I wonder why she's so tired. I wonder if it's because of the email her dad sent her" Hayato struggled to look over Leon's shoulder as he spoke. Leon lifted the paper enough for the Libero to see.

Wakatoshi scanned the paper he had in his hand before looking over at (Name). Was he really that blunt to her?

When the bus finally arrived, Wakatoshi gently woke up (Name), who stretched her shoulders.

"Do you feel better?" Wakatoshi asks as he stares at her. He attempted to be more gentle with her. She gives a small smile and nods.

"Yup, thank you. I guess sometimes I need a push to take care of myself." The first years silently grab their bags with a bit of shock

'Did she appreciate his bluntness?!'

(Name) walks down the halls with a bag of water bottles slung over her shoulder. The boys were checking out the matchup boards before they were to walk to the first gym, leaving (Name) alone as she walked to the water fountains. With a small smile on her face, she places the bag of water bottles down and begins to fill them.

"I-is she a first year?" a tentative voice whispered. "S-She's really cute!"

"Try talking to her! Tell her you need to fill your water bottle! She'll probably move out of your way and wait!" another, more confident voice whispers. "She looks like a manager, go get her tiger." (Name)'s face began to sink into an annoyed look. They weren't very good at being inconspicuous.

She feels a quick tap on her shoulder

"E-excuse me? Can I fill my water bottle?" She composed herself and made a straight face. She looked back at the blushing boy. He wore a pink jersey and had his hair tied back into a ponytail. If it got any longer he would look like a pineapple.

"Of course." She tried to keep her voice as flat as possible, but that excited the boy even more. His face exploded once again with reds and pinks. It almost looked like steam was emitting from his face. She moved out of the way to let the boy by, but he stared at (Name). She blinked several times before tilting her head. That was the finishing blow for this boy. His friend behind him jumped back as he saw his teammate have a meltdown. The boy began babbling nonsense. (Name) became concerned, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asks, and the boy immediately snatches her hand and holds it in both his.

"Sh-Shunki-kun!? What are you doing?!"

"M-Marry me!" the almost pineapple boy shouted. (Name)'s eyes suddenly widen.

"...huh?"

"Y-You're gorgeous!"

"Shunki!? What are you doing!? You're screwing up your chances!" the encouraging boy placed his hands on his head, weaving his fingers through his short, pinkish brown hair.

"I-I just-" (Name) began to stutter. She's had boys flirt with her in the past, but how does she turn down a marriage proposal? She could easily shut down flirting, but this was an entirely different beast. "I need to get back to my team-" she tried to set him down gently, but his grip was tight. This boy was too excited. His friend was about to step in when a hand rested on his shoulder. The hand was rather large, and it gripped his shoulder with incredible strength. The short-haired boy followed the arm up to an intense glare.

It was Wakatoshi.

The boy recognized him from middle school and nearly pissed his pants. (Name) looked over as the friend began babbling as well.

"Wakatoshi-kun!" she called out to him. He released his vice grip on the short haired boy as he fell to the ground. His glare was steady and held true to the boy who proposed to (Name) in such a brazen way.

"Shunki! I suggest you let go now! There are plenty of other cute girls, I think we need to go!" the short-haired boy pled with the love-struck boy, but it was too late. With his left hand, Wakatoshi formed a vice grip on the loverboy's wrist. He quickly snapped out of his infatuation. Wakatoshi turned his head stiffly as he intensified his glare on the boy. The boy trembled and let go of (Name). She quickly retracted her hand, but Wakatoshi didn't let go so easily. The boy's babbling had stopped completely as Wakatoshi gripped his wrist harder.

"Hey! Quit it! He let go!" his teammate built up enough courage to talk back to the powerful first year. (Name) didn't like where Wakatoshi's aggression was going.

"Wakatoshi!" She placed her hand on his right arm "Let go of him. I'm okay, he didn't hurt me." her voice was stern, yet soft. Motherly. Wakatoshi peered over at (Name) as he loosened his grip. He had been infuriated at this boy for trying to court her, but after seeing her look at him, he was soothed.

Wakatoshi let go of the scared boy, and the two boys in pink jerseys immediately take off.

"Are you alright?" He asks as he looks her up and down, looking for any sort of blemish or scratch. He could find none.

"I'm alright, he was just too excited and girl crazy." she smiled at him. "I have to fill these still. Have you all stretched?"

"Not yet. The others started ahead of me."

"Wakatoshi," her shoulders slumped "You need to stretch. I need to fill these still, I'll be in the gym in a few minutes."

"I'm not leaving." He says sternly. (Name) sighs and begins filling water bottles again. If he's going to do what she thinks he is, then she needs to fill these as quickly as possible while trying to get him to go back.

"You need to stretch Wakatoshi. The coach might not be happy with you if you stay here." his gaze stays true. "Compromise with me, what can I do to make you go stretch? I promise I won't be long." He really was living up to the cow part of his name by being this bullheaded. She would kill for a second manager right now. She began looking around for anything or anyone that could help her. Finally, she spots a girl in a black tracksuit. She looked nervous. She was alone, and it made the wheels in (Name)'s head turn. Boys were naturally avoiding her because she was gorgeous and they didn't know how to approach her. Perfect. "Hey! You there! Girl with the glasses!" (Name) called out. Wakatoshi turned his head towards the nervous girl. "You looking for where to fill the water bottles?" (Name) gave her a bright smile. The nervous girl nodded her head. "You can fill them right here with me." (Name) then looks up at Wakatoshi with a big smile "Girls are safer in numbers, after all." Wakatoshi narrowed his eyes and raised his head slightly.

"If anything happens, call me." He states with a flat tone before running towards the gym. (Name) sighs before looking over at the girl with black hair and glasses.

"Sorry, I'm mixing you up in my problems. He was being stubborn." She then shook her head and spoke in a soft tone

"No, it's okay. I was lost. Will you really stay with me?"

"If you want me to." (Name) gives a bright, motherly smile. "My name's (L/name) (Name) by the way. We can alternate filling water bottles so we finish at the same time." (Name) screws on the lid to a water bottle. The girl walks forward and uncaps a water bottle before she begins filling it.

"... Shimizu Kiyoko."

"It's nice to meet you. What school do you manage for?"

"Karasuno." (Name)'s eyes widen. The name was definitely familiar, but she's heard that their strength has gone down in recent years. "What... about you?" She could tell the question was tough for the girl

"Shiratorizawa." Shimizu gives a surprised glance. "I guess we both go to bird schools, huh?" (Name) joked slightly. Shimizu smiles and nods as (Name) begins filling one of her water bottles.

(Name) and Shimizu continue to chat happily. Shimizu began to become less stiff with (Name) there. After they fill all the water bottles, they exchange numbers. They vow to do the most for their teams so that they may face off against one another one day.

(Name) then runs back to her designated gym and sees her team warming up. Wakatoshi's eyes immediately land on her as he looks her over, but he resumes glaring across the net after that. She runs over to the coach and bows her head, apologizing for any concern she may have caused. The coach only grunts and tells her to assist in any way she can.

"(Name)-chan, everything okay?" Leon asks. Wakatoshi wouldn't say a word when he got back, but he radiated stress and anger. He also refused to stop staring down the other team. She gives a nervous smile to him.

"I just had a bit of a run in at the water fountain." Hayato furrows his eyebrows.

"Again?"

"Yeah, a boy asked me to marry him."

"Seriously!?" Satori gawks. That's why Wakatoshi was pissed.

"Yeah, he grabbed my hand and everything... it was really awk..." (Name) trailed off as she looked up to the other side of the net. She saw the pink uniforms. She then noticed two players who looked very familiar as they warmed up as far away from the net as they possibly could. "Ward..." she finishes the sentence before giving an exasperated look to Leon.

"(Name)-chan?" Eita questioned. Hayato looked up as well. Was she angry at Wakatoshi? Some upperclassmen began to watch and see if there was going to be some carnage.

"...Keep an eye out for Wakatoshi for me while he's on the court. I don't know how reckless he'll get" Name requests.

"Eh?" Leon, Hayato, Satori, and Eita tilted their heads at her. She turns her body so that the other team couldn't see where she was pointing. She got close to the first years

"That boy with the ponytail is the marriage proposal culprit. The guy next to him didn't exactly discourage it."

"GEH!?"

(Name) placed a hand on her face. This was his high school debut, she hoped he wouldn't play terribly aggressively or risky.

He played the game just that, however. Aggressive. His spikes were heavy, and shattered blocks, but his jump serves went out. Some of his spikes went out too. The coach became belligerent at this and screamed that they would be doing 100 serves when they got back. The upperclassmen all gawked, then glared at Wakatoshi. (Name) gave a nervous smile to the coach before focusing back on the game. Wakatoshi was apologetic of his missed serve, but he did nothing to cool his head.

(Name) looked on, occasionally glancing at either Hayato or Satori in the reserves box with worried looks.

'Who knew someone flirting with (Name) like that would send him into this much of a rage...' Leon watched on as his roommate slammed down another spike, rounding the set out to an end. 'He tries to hide his anger, but he can't fully suppress it.' Leon thought as he welcomes Wakatoshi off the court by handing him his water bottle. 'I hope (Name)-chan realizes the cause of this...' the coach was about to rip Wakatoshi a new one, but (Name) called his name in a serious tone, stopping the demon coach.

"Wakatoshi." All of the first years focus on their manager. She blinks a few times before continuing. "You're hitting with all your might. 100% isn't bad, but I'm worried about your shoulders. Please be more aware." She gave him a stern gaze. "You're powerful, but what's the point of power if you can't use it due to an injury or you lose?" she then grips her right leg, sending her message loud and clear to Wakatoshi. The first years all look at her with a serious look in their eyes. "Right?"

She returns to the bench, giving him a glare he could only describe of that of an eagle.

He took a deep breath before returning his water bottle to the sidelines and taking his position.

"(L/name)-chan, you did a good job in calming down Ushijima-kun," The teacher advisor praises "How did you do it?"

"She reminded him." The coach butts in. The advisor blinks owlishly at the coach. "(L/Name)-san, as you grow into the position, I want you to continue doing just that. Remind them. I'll continue to push them if you continue to remind them. Nurture the newer members, remind the older ones. I know the coming years will bear unique fruit."

"... I will do my best, coach." She didn't always agree with his methods, but if he would lead them to victory, and lead them to more games together, then she would follow his orders. She had no other choice.

Wakatoshi's jump serve finally makes it in. (Name) bit her lip.

She would remind them.

A flightless golden eagle watches a beautiful white beast take flight.


	15. Shirogane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A silver-eyed Hyena cackles and stalks the lame eagle

Wakatoshi had fully calmed down after the first match and was fully warmed up for the second match. Shiratorizawa took it easily. The boys were eating a lunch that was packed for them before they headed back. The upperclassmen wanted to watch a game before leaving, and the coach hesitantly agreed, he accompanied them while the first years sat and ate in an open space. (Name) became anxious as she peered around.

"(Name)-chan?" Eita blinked at her. She wasn't scrutinizing what he ate, and it felt weird. He then looked over at the other first years. They all shrugged.

"(Name)-chan." Leon attempted. "Is everything oka-"

"(Name)." A masculine voice called out. (Name) nearly jumped 6 feet in the air. The first years then looked in the direction of the voice. A man with similar features to (Name) stood there. He had an intense, brown-eyed gaze. His (H/c) hair was cut in a professional manner. He wore a dress shirt and dress pants as he carried a bag with him. Another man stood behind him, even taller than the initial man. His wrinkled features were gentler, but they were still frightening. The intense aura he gave off suffocated those who were not strong enough to stand near him. The first-year boys were just barely able to even look at the elderly man. (Name) began to shake.

"Father! Grandfather!" her voice was barely steady as she trembled. Most of the boys were frightened and mesmerized by the men in front of them. (Name) stood up and slowly approached them. She had no idea why they were there, and it made her anxious.

Eita gives Satori and Hayato a quick glance before staring back at the two men before them.

"These people are related to (Name)-chan...?" He whispered. Wakatoshi couldn't take his eyes off the older gentleman. If that was (Name)'s grandfather, then that meant he was a national player at one point in his life. He took a steady breath as he attempted to calm himself. He exudes power.

"(Name). You got my email, correct?" She nods. She begins to shiver.

WhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdoWhatDidIdo

"I apologize. I realize now that it might not have been in the best taste. Your mother is upset with me. I am to apologize." She looks up at her father. The first years flinch. Was (Name)'s father a robot?

"You make my granddaughter anxious like that again and I swear to god I'll beat you within an inch of your life you absolute sea slug. She nearly jumped to the ceiling when you said her name!" (Name)'s grandfather gnarls.

"Grandpa! Father just forgets that people get anxious sometimes! I'm okay! He's about efficiency!" (Name) tries to soothe. She realizes now that her father must not have seen the point in sending her all the details as she would see him soon.

"He had you worried sick, didn't he!? My precious golden girl's getting a gift today, and you were worried sick all day, weren't you?!" (Name)'s grandfather became even more belligerent. The first-year boys began to scoot away slightly. "By the way, who are those brats?" (Name)'s grandfather points to Eita, Leon, Hayato, Satori, and Wakatoshi.

"They're part of the team I manage, grandpa. They're my friends."

"Are they good enough to be near my Golden gift?" Her grandfather crossed his arms as he glared at the first years. He curled the corner of his lip in a challenging manner. "Your mother still left me reeling when she married that sponge of a man that you call your father." (Name)'s father barely flinched at the insult.

"Grandpa..." (Name) raised her hands and let out a nervous chuckle. The first-year boys all look over at Wakatoshi, then back at the emotionless man, and once again back at Wakatoshi.

He might be screwed.

The older man walked over to the boys, causing slight fear to well up inside them. He was like a bigger version of the coach if the coach looked willing to strangle them for looking at (Name) wrong.

"So, tell me, boys, what sport do you play, huh? You all look scrawny to me." His voice growled.

"Grandpa, they play-"

"Now now, my precious little angel, if they can't answer me, you need to quit on the spo-"

"Volleyball." Wakatoshi interrupted without fear. The rest of his team gulped.

"Oh? A bold one are we?"

"Hiroki, I believe we are here to gift (Name) this, I see no point in asking them questions." The monotone man states as he lifts the plastic bag in his hand.

"Shut it Goro. These boys are spending a lot of time around my little honeycomb, so I want to know their integrity." he turns and gives the tall doctor a glare as he pointed at him to emphasize his point "Got it sponge?" (Name) looked over at her team with an apologetic look. She had no idea this is what he was going to do.

"I concede."

"Good! Now! Where was I?"

"Grandpa!" (Name) attempts to calm her grandfather again, but he pats her head.

"Shhh, it's okay my golden blossom, I'll see if these snot-nosed kids are up to snuff." he turns to the boys again and is surprised when he sees Wakatoshi's gaze. The boy was accepting the challenge he naturally put out on a day to day basis. "Ah, I see...stand up boy." Hiroki beckoned, then looked at the other boys. "If you're brave enough, stand up too! I'm an old man and there ain't no way in hell I'm coming down to you brats!" (Name) gave an apologetic look to her team for her grandfather's vile mouth. "Oh~! But my sweet cupcake, you can sit down! What with your knee and all, get as much rest as you need~" he shifted instantaneously from intimidation to cooing. The Shiratorizawa first years all stand to face the elderly volleyball player.

"Grandpa..."

"Now, about these..." Hiroki squints at (Name)'s friends and team. It appeared he was looking for a weakness he could easily exploit. He then points at Satori "Well plain and simple, you're a freak." He moved on to Eita "What is with your hair kid?" He looks at Leon with a confused look "Benkei?" he skips over Hayato "I don't need to say anything about you." he then gets caught up in Wakatoshi's glare again. Hiroki lets out a low grumble. "You... you have a face that looks just like that wet towel over there, but you're different from that spineless man, aren't you?" a half compliment finally left his mouth. (Name) was taken aback. "I'll have to see how you play, fledgling."

"Hiroki, the gift." (Name)'s father interrupted. Hiroki formed an irk mark at the younger man.

"Shut yer trap you... you..." Hiroki sat there for a few seconds as he thought. Satori leaned over to Eita

"Did he finally run out of things to say?"

"Grandpa..." (Name) placed both her hands on her face. She was getting more frustrated.

"Hiroki." (Name)'s father attempted to interrupt.

"Hang on! The last one's still coming!" Hiroki placed a hand on his head as he began to wave the other one in an attempt to come up with more insults.

"Grandpa!" (Name) snapped. "If this is all you're going to do, then I am taking my team and leaving!" Hiroki turned quickly to his granddaughter and began wailing

"My little summer song! I'm sorry! This trip was all for you my sugar cube! My pudding cup! My ocean pearl!" (Name)'s eye visibly twitched. Satori held back a laugh while this once intimidating man began spewing pet names at his manager. "Right, (Name), your father, and I finally found the one we were looking for. It took him and I traveling all the way to America to get it."

"It will lessen the rate of your knee deterioration." (Name)'s father walked forward and presented her with a box. "Allow me to put it on you. It will be difficult for you to remove and attach this to yourself." He sat (Name) down and then opened the box. Inside was a masterfully crafted knee brace. (Name) blinked at it as the boys began to peer over in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the brace.

"Nothing second rate for my little songbird, it's got the latest in copper fibers, and it's extra flexible, so you won't notice it after a while my dewdrop!"

"It's finished." (Name)'s father didn't mince words. The brace fits snug to her knee and wasn't overly bulky. There was a logo just above the kneecap, but it didn't overpower the all black knee brace. "I worked closely with the development of this. It should fit you perfectly. I will continue my work to make you a better one. You will play again." with that, (Name)'s father lifts himself from the ground and walks away. (Name)'s grandfather clicked his tongue as he watched him leave.

"Goro might be as lively as a dead tree stump, but I'll let him off the hook for this one..."

"(Name)-chan! You got a knee brace! Looks cool!" Satori went over to her with no fear. He was taking a risk by doing so, but he had a hunch "So what's it gonna help with?" The older man seemed to leave Satori alone if he showed concern and was amiable with his granddaughter, it also helped when (Name) responded positively.

"It'll keep my knee from getting destroyed from normal day to day activities, and I'll be able to keep up with you guys better." Hiroki's ears perk

"Keep up with them? Are they any good?" the older man gave a suspicious look to the boys.

"Grandpa, I'm going to invite that you come back and tell me after you see them play." (Name) stands and defends her team. Her intense glare matched that of the retired volleyball player before her. He smiles and nods

"Alright then my swan, I want these boys to prove this grumpy old bird wrong, got it?" He told her, but she wasn't paying attention. He noticed (Name) was bouncing her right leg slightly with a curious expression. "...My little citrus blossom?"

"Hey, Satori, your kilometer time is about an 8:53, right?" Satori jumps a little

"Yeeeaah? What about it?"

"Race me. To that door." with an entirely serious expression, (Name) pointed to a far door. Satori gawks. (Name) has barely gone above a jog or jumped a few times for more than for a few minutes, and now she wants to sprint against him? Even the day they caught her jump serving was apparently painful afterward, but she had admitted later on that she couldn't resist. The rest of the boys look at (Name) with a bit of worry.

"M-My darling little doll, that brace probably feels good, but you must be careful as well, Who knows if what Goro gave you is worth a crap-" He looks at (Name)'s gaze. A competitive flame burned once again. Wakatoshi noticed it too, and it almost made him want to compete against (Name) too. Satori sighs as he lines up against (Name)

"I won't go easy on you (Name)-chan just because you're the manager!" (Name) smiles and glances over at Hayato to start them. Leon shook his head as Eita looked on with a worried look. Leon glances over at him before letting out a small laugh

"I thought (Name)-chan was the mom, but you look just as worried as she does when she watches us play." Eita flinched and glared at Leon.

"Go!" Hayato called, and they both took off. (Name) clearly felt more comfortable moving than she did before, and cuts ahead of Satori, tapping the door almost half a second before he does. She's breathing much heavier than Satori, however, as she clicks her tongue at herself.

"Dang, I need to keep in better shape I guess." (Name) gives a light-hearted laugh as she falls to the ground and lets herself rest. Satori flinches and began checking on her well being. Wakatoshi is the next to sprint over with Hayato, Leon, and Eita hot on his trail. They all make sure their manager is alright as she becomes a little peeved.

"Yes! I'm fine! This is what happens when you don't run in a while!" She laughs as they continue to check on her. Hiroki narrows his gaze at the boys as he watches them goof around with her. She was laughing, it had been a while since he's seen her laugh like that. She raced one of them just for the hell of it.

"I hope to god those boys are good at volleyball."

The next day, (Name) was bouncing a little more. She had gotten accustomed to her new brace and was feeling freer than before. The other first-years took notice and felt their manager's energy flowing into them. She began to work harder and began using more of her strength as well.

The boys began their stretches when Wakatoshi noticed (Name) was gone. He glanced around for a few seconds before speaking up.

"Where did (Name) go?" He asked his seniors in a flat tone. The captain let out a hum before pointing down a hall.

"She went to the fountains to fill the water bottles." The first years stopped dead.

"EH?!" Satori screeched, causing his captain to jump. Another upperclassman laughed.

"What, you guys think she'll have ANOTHER run-in at the water fountains? What are the chances of that!" another upperclassman laughed with him. The other first-years look at each other before looking at a restless Wakatoshi.

Maybe, they were right, she'd be fine, right?

Meanwhile, (Name) arrives at the water fountains with a smile on her face. She was unaware of sly eyes watching her as she placed down the team's water bottle bag.

"So this is what happened to Golden Girl?" a snide voice called out to (Name). A very familiar snide voice.

(Name) looked at the source to see a smiling black-haired girl. Her features were almost perfect, and her hair made it down to the middle of her back. Her bangs were swept to the side. (Name)'s once happy expression sunk to a more irritated, serious one.

"Shirogane...Pleasant seeing you here."

"Oh of course! Glad to see you didn't run away from volleyball after what happened to your knee! Not like you could run, though." (Name)'s expression quickly changed to an irritated one as the girl clad in teal jabbed at her. "I've been so sad since your retirement! I cried for days (Name)-chwan!" (Name) became more aggravated at Shirogane's childish honorifics and crocodile tears.

"Don't lie to me Shirogane."

"Ah, of course, you catch me. You've always been a perceptive ace." Shirogane smiled "Too bad your precious Shiratorizawa girls team is going to be taken down by Aoba Josai. I have confidence in my team."

"Shiratorizawa isn't weak." (Name)'s phone then lets out a buzz. She checks it to see a text from Wakatoshi in the first-year group chat.

**3:56 pm From Wakatoshi: Are you alright (Name)?**

**3:57 pm From (Name): I ran into someone at the water fountains.**

**3:57 pm From Eita: Again?!**

**3:57 pm From Leon: do you need us to send someone?**

"(Name)-chwan! Are you ignoring me to text!? How rude!" she played up her hurt feelings as (Name) typed a quick response.

**3:59 pm From (Name): She's harmless. I'll tell u when I get back.**

"There, I'm done texting. Did you need to fill your water bottle or did you just come here to heckle me?"

"Aww, (Name)-chwan, could you be a good manager and fill it for me?" Shirogane handed (Name) the water bottle with a condescending smile. (Name) took a deep breath as she glared at Shirogane. Shirogane never liked (Name). No matter what Shirogane did, she could never beat (Name), and she knew that. Shirogane worked tirelessly in hopes of one day beating the Golden Girl.

When Shirogane heard of her knee, it was a mixed bag. On one hand, she'd be able to see the girl that caused her so much grief be miserable as her team played on without her, but on the other hand, she never got to beat (Name) for herself. The victory was by a technicality, and her pride wouldn't let her have it.

"I need to fill these for my team. You can fill your's after that." (Name) said coldly as she continued to fill the water bottles. Shirogane Gawked. That didn't go quite as planned, but (Name) still seemed upset.

(Name) was in a bad mood when she came back. The first years took notice quickly.

"I wonder if it's because of the run in..." Eita whispered to Hayato. The Libero nodded.

"You ran into someone," Wakatoshi says bluntly as (Name) placed down the water bottles. It was more of a statement than a question. The other first-years jump. How had this boy not completely screwed it up with her yet? (Name) took a deep breath.

"Yeah. an old... rival I guess you could say. I don't know what to call her."

"A rival?" Satori couldn't resist pestering anymore. (Name) sighed as she set out the water bottles.

"She'd be thrilled if she heard me call her that. Her name is Shirogane. She's a gifted setter who's known for her ruthless play style. Any weakness she can find, she will exploit it. She apparently hated me because she couldn't beat me. She's over the moon about my situation now."

"Harsh? And kind of a bitch?" Satori sneers. Wakatoshi grunts as he begins bouncing a ball on the ground.

"Yeah, kind of. Don't worry much about it though. She's probably here for volleyball, so she'll be busy." she smiled at her team "Do your best, okay?"

Shiratorizawa ended up winning both their games by a landslide. The coach seemed pleased with the results as he only heckled them a little during both matches. He let the first years go off and roam for a little before going with his upperclassmen to observe their next opponent. He trusted (Name) would keep them out of trouble.

As they roamed looking for anything to catch their interest, a familiar gruff voice called out.

"Oi, volleyball idiots." They flinch as they look over to see (Name)'s grandfather, Hiroki beckoned them with an angry face. They all stare with wide eyes. What was he going to say today?

As they hesitantly approach, (Wakatoshi more confidently than the others) Hiroki began to form an angry pout and crossed his arms.

"Grandpa? Were you watching the game?"

"I did," He took a deep breath. "And you all aren't half bad." He seemed reluctant to let those words pass his old chapped lips. They look at the man with astonishment. "When I watched you all play, it was like watching someone I knew a long time ago." He looked at the boys once again "I have a hunch that you boys will pave a way for your team. Just remember to watch for my precious hummingbird as well." the boys nod nervously as (Name) gives an exasperated half-smile. They had earned the trust of the man who was insulting them nonstop yesterday through volleyball of all things.

The next day was much like the last, except a lot more plain. Shiratorizawa kept winning, and it filled (Name)'s heart with joy, but she cringed at the thought of the next and final game of the preliminaries. She looked up at the board with the other first years.

"... So... Aoba Josai." Satori started. (Name) only sighed.

"Did you ever do anything with that number?" Hayato asked the mischievous middle blocker. Satori smiled with half-lidded eyes.

"No, but I did do something with the email." Eita stifled a laugh.

"Be careful at the water fountains tomorrow, (Name)-chan." Leon chuckled "Maybe take Wakatoshi with you?"

"Wakatoshi needs to stretch during that time, but if you want I can go fill the water bottles before that. That way I can take Wakatoshi."

"You're talking about him like he's a dog..." Hayato sweats. (Name) lets out a slight giggle as she begins to imagine Wakatoshi as a dog. He'd be the most unapproachable, biggest mastiff possible. Wakatoshi looked over with slightly widened eyes. A blush crept slightly on his face.

"Alright, let's go home. I'll be watching your diets tonight extra close." (Name) smiled as they all turned their back on the board. She had confidence in them. It was through them she flew.


	16. The past still lingers

(Name) walked down to the water fountains with a sense of caution. She had gone a little earlier than she usually would and had arrived before most people were around the fountain. (Name) then peered around the fountain with her phone in her hand, ready to make a call. If anyone she didn't want to deal with showed up, she was to call Wakatoshi. Her view seemed clear, however.

As she sighed and walked over to the fountains, she suddenly heard a voice that she really didn't want to deal with.

"Yoo-hoo! (Name)-chan! is that you?" (Name) flinched. Just as she was opening the first water bottle too, Oikawa decided to show up. She attempted to calm her irritation and show Oikawa a flat face.

"Oikawa-san. Did you need to fill your water bottle?" (Name) said with a dead, flat tone. Oikawa smiled at her

"No, since you didn't text me at all, I wanted to sit here and chat with you as much as I could!" he said with an overly saccharine tone. (Name) took her phone and silently called Wakatoshi behind her back. Hopefully, he would rile Oikawa enough to get him to leave.

"...oh, I see." (Name) begins to fill water bottles while she waits for her guard dog to arrive. Oikawa decides to lean against the wall near the fountain.

"I've heard about you." he begins, and (Name) begins to feel uneasy. what does this boy know? "Tell me, how bad does it hurt?" (Name) shoots Oikawa a glare. "The pain would be unbearable for me, just watching. How bad does your heart hurt, (Name)-chan?" His fake smile he wore seemed familiar in so many ways. "Why do you do it? They cause you pain, don't they?" He continued reading (Name), "For such a beautiful golden eagle, isn't this position degrading?"

"Shut. Up." (Name) finally bit. "What do you know!" It's true, (Name) was in a lot of pain at times. She wanted so desperately to play, she wanted to feel the rush again. She wanted to fly. She felt like she failed her team, she feels like she left them all alone.

"A lot more than you think," Oikawa replied to her outburst. He took a step closer to her, and she took steps back. Not only could he read her, but he could see right through her. It was frightening. She turned to flee but ran right into someone tall. Arms then gently wrap around (Name)'s shoulders. The comfort they provided was unparalleled. (Name) looked up to see Wakatoshi staring down Oikawa.

"Ushiwaka!" Oikawa called out.

"Is there a reason why you're causing (Name) distress?"

"EH? You're on a given name basis with her now?!" Oikawa gawked as he stared at the hold Wakatoshi had on (Name).

"W-Wakatoshi," (Name) says in a breathy whisper. She's forgotten entirely about what Oikawa had been saying to her. He glanced down to (Name) and takes a deep breath through his nose.

"Warm-ups are starting (Name). Let's go." He pulled away from her and began to walk back, carefully checking every once in a while to see if (Name) was still following. He attempted to control the emotions his face showed and keep himself from too getting red-faced. Oikawa watched them leave as (Name) walked further and further into a daze.

"So that's what you mean to him, huh (Name)-chan?" Oikawa whispered. A beeping then came from his phone, he quickly checked and saw that his Sister-in-law had called him. He answered quickly "It's just like you said, given the chance, she'd fly back."

"Yes but will she?" a feminine voice answered back. In the background, there were some pans clanking

"What do you mean?" He questioned as he looked at the time

"You might have gotten a rise out of her, but how long will those feelings last? Trust me Toru, I know her, I fought her. She fights because she has people to fight for, that's why she was a monster at Shiratorizawa. That's why she was the Golden Girl."

"So you're saying the more she bonds with this team..."

"More likely than not, she's not going to leave them, hey, don't touch that!... which means I'll probably never play her again." Oikawa smiles at the background noise as he changes hands.

"Don't get upset Shirogane-chan! Aren't you watching Takeru today?"

"I am watching him! My brother would kill me if I didn't!" Static suddenly hit the phone's speaker as Shirogane yells in the background

"Uncle! Win! Okay?" a small voice rang through. Oikawa sighed.

In the gym, (Name) was sitting on the bench as she stared at the ground. The sound of volleyballs hitting the ground reverberated through the gym as (Name) furrowed her brow. What Oikawa had said to her was getting to her. She was on the sidelines, and it did hurt sometimes. The pain in her chest was louder than any cheer the pep squads could muster. It constricted and tore at her heart, but no matter what, she knew she would not be able to fly.

The game began strong, Wakatoshi proved his strength and cuts through a block, earning Shiratorizawa their first point.

_"Get the last one (Name)!" Her setter called to her. (Name) smiled at the nice, high toss and went in for the jump._ _Something was off. Her right knee wasn't supposed to feel like that..._ _With a quick swing, the ball was smashed through the block. Her team cheered as (Name) came back down to earth. Her juniors were cheering, and she knew she couldn't let them see her worry. She smiled her Golden smile and waved. Everything will be fine, right?_

(Name) comes back and watches another spike be pushed through. It bounced off Seijoh's Libero's arms. It was an impressive display of power. (Name) begins to zone out again as what Oikawa says invades her thoughts. She furrowed her brow. Why did he care though?

"(L/Name)-chan, can you do me a favor?" The grumpy sounding coach suddenly asks. (Name) snaps herself out of her daze and looks at the older man. "I need you to go grab my clipboard from the bus. I can manage for the first set without it, but I need it after that. The quicker you get it, the better." The coach looked her deep in the eye,

"Of course, I'll do that right away." (Name) says before running out of the gym. The coach sighs before turning his attention back to the boys

"Maybe that will help clear her head."

(Name) made her way out to the bus and quickly found the clipboard. The coach is usually a little more organized than this, but she shrugged. Everyone makes mistakes at some point. She climbs off the bus and begins to walk back to the gym, but not before being full-on tackled by a screaming ball of energy

"(L/Name)-senpai! It is you! You are here! I'm so happy to see you!" The voice of a boy said as he continued to embrace (Name) with all his might. "I tried calling out to you when you were in the gym, but you didn't hear me!" (Name) finally recognizes the voice, even if it is a bit deeper than before. She turns her head and sees a slightly taller ball of energy with a bowl cut.

"Tsutomu-kun! What are you doing here!" (Name) smiles as she rubs her junior's back. "You've grown, and I haven't even been gone that long!"

"I'll get even taller (L/Name)-senpai!"

"And your hair has gotten messier too! You can call me (Name) by the way, I don't mind." (Name) begins to fix the boy's hair slightly.

"(N-Name)-nee-senpai," He begins to test out. "Why are you out here, you're the manager aren't you?" His questions spear her. Her once smiling face drops, and she stops fixing his hair. "(N-Name)-nee-senpai?" He lifted his head up to see her sad face.

"Ah, sorry Tsutomu-kun, did I worry you?" (Name) forced a smile. "I didn't mean to."

"(Name)-nee-senpai, what's wrong?" he tilted his little coconut head at (Name). She felt like her heart was going to explode at how cute this kid was.

"It's hard to explain." She sits down on a bench in the hall, inviting Tsutomu to sit next to her "I love my team, I love managing them, and honestly they're the best team I could possibly ask for, but I feel like I failed my girls' team. I feel like I wasn't strong enough. I have the urge to play again" She drew her legs to her chest and hugged her knees. Tsutomu imitated her while keeping his full attention on her. "I want to play again at some point, but I don't think I could leave them... especially not the other first years I've come to know and love." Tsutomu's face became guilty-looking as he looked down at the ground. "Tsutomu-kun?"

"I'm sorry (Name)-nee-senpai." Tsutomu refuses to look at his senior.

"What do you mean Tsutomu-kun? What's wrong?"

"I was... I was happy when you became the manager of the boy's team." (Name) blinks at the boy "You took really good care of me when I first got into Junior high, and when you went off to High school, I became scared. I wanted you to help me again, but you weren't there." He looked further away as (Name) reached a hand out to the boy. "But when I heard you'd be the manager, I felt relieved. I knew you'd be there for me to help me get a good start in high school too." (Name)'s eyes widened. Was this child hiding all of this from her?

"Your influence is wide-reaching, you know that right (Name)-san?" (Name)'s head shot up towards the sound to see a girl standing there with a tired look on her face. She had wrapped fingers.

"You!" (Name)'s eyes widen at the girl before her. It was her old setter, the main setter for the Shiratorizawa girls' team.

"Been a hot minute, hasn't it?" Her tired expression morphed into one of bliss. "You seem to be holding out okay as a manager though, good to see!" She begins to walk closer to (Name) and Tsutomu "Even if you are having a bit of a crisis." Tsutomu looks up at the setter as he held back tears. (Name) immediately jumped into action once she saw her precious junior's tears. She took out a packet of tissues she had in her pocket and began wiping his tears away. "What are you (Name), his mother?"

"I just don't like it when these kids cry, okay?" the setter laughed.

"I guess you've always been like that..." She looks at Tsutomu's now dry face. "You've always been one to worry about others, you don't know how to worry about yourself, well, unless it's your parents who are after you." The setter lets out another lazy laugh "But seriously. Let's look at your situation right now." The setter then places a hand on top of Tsutomu's head "How many kids like this just approach you because of what you've done for them? I guarantee that there'll be more." She removes her taped up hand as Tsutomu lifts his head to look at (Name) "Do you regret helping those kids? I'm not gonna deny that you put a lot of hours into them. That probably didn't help your knee, and if you had kept to yourself you probably would have at least gotten to your second year of high school playing volleyball." (Name) flinches. Tsutomu gawks and looks at his senior. Did all that extra practice with him really ruin her knee?

"It's okay Tsutomu-kun, you didn't ruin my knee." She gave the boy a gentle smile "but even if it did, I wouldn't have changed a thing" a sense of euphoria began creeping through (Name) as her old setter cleared her head.

"You put your wings on those kids, and you put your wings on the boys you're helping now. You can't use them, but they'll use them for you (Name)-san" the setter then places her hands on (Name)'s shoulders and gives her an intense glare "Focus on what's in front of you (Name)-san. The Shiratorizawa girls got things covered for you. I'll send you a pic of the trophy." The setter gives one last wave "Now you have a job to do (Name)-san, and honestly you're probably the best person to do it." The setter begins to walk off

"Wait!" (Name) shoots up, startling Tsutomu. The setter turns to (Name) with a confused look "So... you aren't mad at me? For leaving?"

"I'd rather you left than you causing yourself permanent damage on the court. You were strong, but you helped make us stronger. The girls who got to play with the golden girl are different then they were. I wouldn't change a thing, (Name)-san. It was an honor setting for you, and if you need someone to toss you a few, you know my number" the setter turns again and leaves. Tsutomu gets up and touches (Name)'s arm. She looks down at him and smiles.

"I'll be there for you Tsutomu-kun. When you come to Shiratorizawa and start playing Volleyball, I'll be there." She gave him a wide smile. "You'll be the Ace, I know it!" Tsutomu's eyes widen as his smile grows "I have to get back to the game, watch from the stands, okay? Keep cheering kid!" (Name) gave a quick hug to the boy before rushing to the gym.

Upon entering, the first set was over. (Name) handed the coach his forgotten clipboard with a brighter face than she had before.

"(Name)-chan, where were you?" Satori asks as he begins to drink more water.

"I was grabbing something for the coach. Ran into someone along the way." she then glanced up at the stands to see Tsutomu waving his hands wildly. (Name) gave a slight wave back. The other first-years look up to see the happy bowl cut kid.

"Eh? Him? Coconut head?"

"I coached him a little in middle school. He's a good kid." (Name) turned her attention back to her team. "Are any of you running low on water? Any injuries?" The boys smile at their manager.

The next set was taken by Seijoh, but barely. (Name) spied a very pleased, and yet unsettled Oikawa Toru, and as they switched sides, he left her a few words.

"You were gone for a bit there, you doing okay (Name)-chan?" Oikawa's voice was halfway between being sincere and having an agenda. Wakatoshi turned to get in between the two of them, but (Name) smiled.

"I'm with the team, so of course I'm okay." She then walks over to Wakatoshi and Leon. they both give her a slightly concerned look, but she shakes her head at them.

The game after that was ended in 4 sets, with Shiratorizawa taking it. (Name)'s head lifts up with pride for the team. It was amazing to see the boys she's been working with getting here.

As the team leaves, (Name) begins looking at Nationals.

"So they're in Tokyo,"

"Yup! I've been before," a senior begins talking to her "We get our own hotel, and there's time rationed out for us to explore too! It's a lot of fun!" the senior suddenly glances at Wakatoshi without (Name) noticing. "So pack normal clothes too! You have cute clothes, right (Name)-chan?" Leon flinches. There go the seniors again. Leon then looks over at Wakatoshi and tries to think about what he has to wear that's nice looking.

'He has his uniform... I think his uniform tie is the only tie he owns...' Leon begins to panic and looks over at Satori, Semi, and Hayato. Satori holds up his phone and then begins texting in the sans (Name) group chat.

 **5:57 pm** **From Guess Guess fall in love:** Wakatoshi has no nice clothes, huh?

 **5:58 pm** **From Leon:** Who the hell is Guess Guess fall in love?

 **5:58 pm** **From Eita** : I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's Satori  
He binged all of Ouran Highschool Host club recently, so he thinks he's an expert in love.

 **5:59 pm** **From Hayato:** guys, problem at hand, Wakatoshi has no nice clothes?

What if (Name) brings nice clothes?

CUTE clothes?

Like a DRESS?

What happens then?

We send him off in sweatpants and a t-shirt?

 **6:01 pm From Guess Guess fall in love:** Hayato, stop spamming, I got this ;D

 **6:02 pm From Wakatoshi:** What is your plan then, Satori?

 **6:02 pm From Guess Guess fall in love:** One of us has to have clothes that fit him

Well try looking in our closets this weekend.

(Name)s gonna fall in love with you when we're done, buddy!

Well, maybe not Hayato, he might be too small.

A sudden glare is shot at Satori from Hayato. Eita scoots out of the line of the glare as Satori gives Hayato a big joker smile. (Name) was unaware of the entire interaction as the coach was asking her for her observations on the match. The seniors all looked back and forth between the two groups.

"(Name)'s so smart, and yet so dumb..." another senior nods

"She's the same breed as him, a volleyball idiot."


	17. Laundry Debacle

"Okay, let's begin!" Satori booms as he sets down a giant basket of unfolded laundry. Hayato taps his fingers on the edge of his basket as he continues to glare at Satori. "What? Are you still angry dude?"

"Guys, cut it out." Leon soon interjects as he places out neatly folded laundry on the counter next to Eita's. "By the way, Hayato, did you bring my shirt back?"

"Do you have mine?" Hayato shot back as he lifted a shirt to the wing spiker. Leon traded the shirt for another one.

"Hey, you guys can do that later! We gotta find the right clothes for this guy!" Satori heckled the two of them. Wakatoshi blinked with a flat expression. He didn't know how to react.

"Let's look through everything first though, we don't need more t-shirts and stuff like that," Eita suggested as he began separating casual clothing that Wakatoshi already had.

"Hey, Wakatoshi, this is a great time to be texting (Name) and getting closer to her," Satori says as he begins to wildly dig through his clothes. Wakatoshi jumps slightly and takes out his phone.

 **2:24 pm** **From Wakatoshi:** What are you doing.

 **From (Name):** hello to you too Wakatoshi, I'm finishing up some homework, won't be much longer, after that, I can text you all day if you want.

"She's working on homework." Wakatoshi places his phone down and looks up at the sorting boys. "She'll be done in a few minutes she says."

"Great! You can try this on then!" Satori tossed him a button-up from Leon's pile. Eita picked up a shirt from his pile and examined it.

"What about this one?" he suggested

"Dude, we want her to like him." Satori waved his hand as if to say 'send it away' "What luck are you having over there Hayato?" Satori peered over at the Libero to see an angry look on his face. Satori smiled "What's the matter? Trouble finding things that will fit him?"

"Shut up!"

"Hey, Leon's clothes don't fit him to bad!" Eita pointed out. Wakatoshi stood with a blank look as Satori went to inspect.

"If Leon's clothes do fit him, then that makes our job 10 times easier." he began grabbing Wakatoshi's arms and moving them to fully see the fit of the shirt. "Okay now, what about pants?"

"He's taller than me, so that may be an issue." Leon points out.

Hayato stares at the giant first year in front of him before calling it quits and beginning to pack up his basket of clothes. He wasn't going to be able to dress him with anything in his basket. Eita looked Wakatoshi up and down before shaking his head and packed his clothes as well.

"Hey! You two are just going to give up like that?!" Satori scolded them, the shorter boys both deadpanned at Satori.

"Unless we chop 5 inches of pure leg off of Wakatoshi, he's not going to fit into our clothes." Hayato retorts. "And even then it would be iffy."

"Urgh, why do you guys have to be so short! I'm as tall as he is!" Satori fired back, and Leon sighed.

"Yes, but you aren't as muscular as him either. You're in the same metaphorical boat we are."

Wakatoshi's phone buzzes, and he quickly answers it as his team bickers.

 **3:05** **From (Name):** Okay! I finished homework! Did you need something before or did you just want to talk?

 **From Wakatoshi:** Just wanted to talk.

 **From (Name):** Ah, I see. So what's going on? Are things boring up there?

  
Wakatoshi looked up to the bickering boys and thought about the word (Name) had used very carefully, and boring was not the right word. He thought for a moment before replying

 **3:06** **From Wakatoshi:** I suppose. Nothing of interest is being said.

 **From (Name):** Ah, I see.

(Name) continued to text Wakatoshi in an attempt to keep him company when she wasn't there. His responses were surprisingly quick and invited her to continue the conversation. She's noticed of all the boys who text her, Wakatoshi had to be the most frequent. She didn't expect it in the slightest. If anyone she expected Satori to be a nonstop flow of messages, but it was always Wakatoshi. Whether it be texts concerning practice or her whereabouts or well being, if her phone buzzed, it was more than likely Wakatoshi. The second biggest texter was Satori however, there was no getting around that. He would always be asking for something in the First string first-year group chat.

(Name) sighed. She began to wonder what they were doing right now? What was he... (Name) shook her head. Why would she think about that?

(Name) laughed to herself as she made her way up to her dorm, but she then heard screaming. Screaming that sounded very familiar. Screaming that sounded like Satori, Eita, and Hayato. (Name) groaned. What were her boys doing? She walked over to Wakatoshi and Leon's room, where all the screaming was happening. (Name) listened in for a little bit before deciding it was time to enter. She knew the door would be open, it always is.

"What are you guys screaming about in here?!" As soon as (Name) opens the door, she is greeted by laundry strewn and thrown about everywhere. Leon was hiding behind his laundry basket, and Wakatoshi was sitting motionless and shirtless on the couch. (Name) furrowed her brow at her team and scrunched her nose. These are the boys that are going to nationals. These are Miyagi's champions, and they were currently screaming at each other while they threw their clean laundry at one another while one of the bigger ones hid and the miracle boy sat on the couch without a shirt on. "What... on... earth..." (Name) walked in as the boys stared at her. "Satori, Eita, Hayato, why are you throwing laundry?! Leon! Why are you hiding? Wakatoshi where's your shirt?!" (Name) out of habit began picking up clothes that had been strewn about everywhere and began folding them. "What the hell are you guys DOING in here?!"

"Ah, well..." Leon started. How does he explain this without outing Wakatoshi's crush?!

"Uh, Well Wakatoshi only has athletic wear, so we thought we'd pitch in and find him at least one nice thing to wear in Tokyo," Eita says as he places a wadded up shirt down on the counter.

"Okay, and how did that, explode into THIS?!" (Name) motioned to the entire dorm. Clothes were strewn about everywhere. "Wakatoshi-kun put a shirt on, I don't want you getting a cold."

"Satori caused it." Hayato pointed at the redhead. The middle blocker gawked and placed his hand on his chest in a hurt manner

"I'm HURT!" Satori sticks his nose in the air in an attempt to avoid (Name)'s gaze. She sighed and looked at the shirts on the ground and picked up one that looked vaguely familiar. She held it up for Wakatoshi to see and he nodded, confirming the shirt was his. She walked over and handed it to him. He thanked her and she turned her attention back to the three troublemakers at hand.

"Leon, you're excused." She waves for him to move out of her firing range. The bigger male gladly moves from her gaze. "So let's see if I've got this. Wakatoshi wants something nice to wear in Tokyo, but all he has is athletic wear." the three boys before her nod. "And I'm guessing one of you suggested to look through your collection of clothes."

"Satori." Eita pointed. (Name) nodded.

"Someone said something that struck a nerve."

"Satori" Hayato pointed.

"And all of a sudden you all lost your temper and started throwing laundry" (Name) sighed. She then turned to Wakatoshi "What do you need? What of theirs didn't fit?" (Name) looked 80x more tired than when she walked in.

"Pants," Wakatoshi replies plainly. (Name) nodded

"And how tall are you?"

"Almost 6 feet, but I've probably grown." (Name) nods as she types on her phone. She sighs as her phone continues to vibrate.

"I'll be right back." (Name) bobs out of the room, leaving the rest of the first years stunned.

"So what now?" Eita asks the other first years. Leon shrugs

"We wait. (Name) seems to know what she's doing."

"That's mom for ya!" Satori added. Eita glared at him "What?"

"Hey, it's because of you that we got yelled at!"

"Yeah but I think (Name) was angry that we all got involved" Hayato sighed. Wakatoshi grunted and nodded. (Name) soon pops back in with a tape measure

"Wakatoshi, stand up." she walked past Satori's suggestive look and ignored it. Wakatoshi obeyed (Name)'s order and stood up quickly. He watched as she took quick measurements. She typed them out on her phone and then hit send. "There. You'll have something nice looking to wear at the hotel. You don't have to throw laundry anymore." (Name) gave a tired smile to the instigators before attempting to leave.

"Thank you." A calm voice calls to her.

"No problem, just don't make a mess like that in Tokyo, okay? Get some rest." She replies and leaves the dorm. Wakatoshi watches silently. Satori looks over and hums

"Man he is DEEP"


	18. Return of the water fountain curse

As the train arrives in Tokyo, the first years begin to look around. (Name) seemed to somewhat know the city.

"Hey, (Name), have you ever been to Tokyo?" Satori suddenly asks. His wide eyes were focused on anything and everything.

"Yup, my parents live here." Satori gawked.

"So this is like home turf?!" He continues to prod and (Name) smiles. "So why did you go to a school so far away from home then?"

"Home is... awkward." (name) leaves off the rest. Wakatoshi senses (Name)'s hesitance. Eita does as well and gives Satori a quick glare before facing forward once again. Satori took it as the glance of 'shut up.'

"So do you know the Tokyo area, (Name)?" Leon asks (Name) nods.

"Do you want me to show you some sights?" an idea pops into Satori's head.

"Yeah, that'd be great (Name)!" Eita, Hayato, and Leon all look at the middle blocker suspiciously.

Once at the hotel, the team was divided up by year, except for (Name), who was given her own room.

In the first year's room, Eita quickly questioned what Satori had up his sleeve.

"Easy, when we get lead around by (Name)-chan, we ditch her with Wakatoshi!" Satori placed a rough hand on Wakatoshi's back as he stared wide-eyed at the group. "When you two have kids, name one after me, got it?"

"Sounds like a simple enough plan," Hayato says as he fidgets with his phone. "But we better get some rest. I'm sure (Name) will come in here any moment to tell us the same thing." Hayato rolled out a futon and immediately flopped down on the soft surface face down.

"Wash up first Hayato!" A feminine voice calls. "Then you can get some rest." The first years all turn their heads to see their beloved manager standing there with a baggy t-shirt and PJ shorts on. Her hair had been towel dried. She held a stack of folded clothes in her hands. "Here are the clothes you wanted, Wakatoshi." she walks over to him and hands him the stack.

"OOOOOH! (Nickname)-swan~! Is that who the clothes are for? Wow!" another feminine voice shrieked. An older woman then bursts into the room wearing extravagant and lively clothing. She looked very similar to (Name). (Name) quickly whipped around and began pushing the woman

"Mom! That's enough!"

"Oh but he's so handsome! Hey hey! What do you think of my daughter? Isn't she cute? She's gorgeous I know! She takes after her mother! Oh ho ho ho ho!"

"Mom!" The boys were awestruck yet again. THIS was (Name)'s mom!?

"Oh but pudding pop! Mommy's only thinking of what's best for you! He'd probably make a good husband!" Wakatoshi blinked several times before looking back at the other first years. They shrugged, what were they going to do? This was entirely new.

"Mom! Lets! GO!" (Name) began pushing harder against the woman and slowly scooting her out of the room.

"But waaaaaaiiiiit! My little angel caaaake! I wanna know more about theeeeeeeem!" the older woman begins to whine.

"I can tell you later!!" (Name) yells before slamming the door behind her. Satori then walks over to Wakatoshi and places a hand on the powerful wing spiker's shoulder.

"Well, you have one that approves of you, another that approves of your volleyball skills, and one that doesn't show enough emotion to even express approval. I'd say you're doing pretty good!" Satori lets out a small laugh. Leon sighs

"What I want to know is how a woman like that married a man like (Name)'s father," Eita shrugged

"I wonder if they're still married?"

"That's not for us to dig. Let's do what (Name) says and get ready for bed." Wakatoshi says as he places the clothes (Name) gave him in a drawer.

"Mom, did you really need to do that?!" (Name) flops on the bed in her hotel. Her mother sighs.

"I haven't seen you smile like that in a while you know... When you handed him the clothes I mean." (Name) turned her head to face her mother. Her mother had a gentle smile lining her face. "Also, I'm guessing you used their given names, am I right?"

"...yes, those are their given names." (name)'s mother narrowed her gaze at her daughter. (Name) looked away.

"Those boys care for you, don't they?" She got up and walked over to the bed and began rubbing her daughter's back "They've been helping, huh?"

"Yeah? I guess they have? But you didn't have to ask Wakatoshi if he wanted to marry me?"

"I can't help it! It got me so excited when I saw you smiling that I jumped straight in! He is a handsome one too, you'll make beautiful children! Just remember to name one after your dear old mother!" (Name) groaned. Why was she like this?

The next morning, (Name) got the folders in order and left them with her team. She then slung the water bottle bag over her shoulder and began the trek to the water fountain. She was nervous, and rightfully so. (Name) almost took Leon up on his offer of walking with Wakatoshi down here, but she wanted him to spend his time in a more constructive manner. The coast seemed clear, and (Name) took a sigh of relief as she walked up to the fountains. First one filled just fine, now onto the-

"Hey Hey Hey! That's a lot of water bottles! Mind if I fill mine up?"

"Mine too." (Name) nearly screamed at the voices. She whipped around to see two boys, one with weird, spiked up, streaky hair, and the other with awful bed head. Both had shit-eating grins.

"Ah- Y-yeah sure." (name) nervously slid out of the way to let the boys through. The boy with the weird spiked up hair began filling his.

"So, you not from around here?" the boy with bedhead began. (Name) shook her head to be polite. "Oh cool!" he responded, "Where you from?"

"Miyagi." (Name) kept her answers short.

"Bro! She's got Shiratorizawa written on her jacket, you probably could have figured that out!"

"Oh! Shiratorizawa! Are you their new manager? Lucky! You're cute." (Name)'s eye twitched. This gag was getting old.

"Thanks, you and every other person I've met at the water fountain has told me the same thing." (Name) bit. The boys began to laugh

"Wait seriously? That's hilarious!" the streaky haired one began

"Yeah! It's like you're having your own water fountain adventures!" Bedhead was finished filling his water bottle. (Name) was finally free to fill the water bottles.

"So what's your name?" The owlish looking boy asked.

"(L/Name) (Name)" (Name) sneered as she filled another water bottle angrily.

"Cute name!" The boy with bedhead replied. (Name) was getting really annoyed.

"Yeah, can I finish my job here? If one of you was looking for a date, I'm afraid you're both out of luck."

"Eh? (Name)-chan, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Volleyball is my boyfriend." (Name) responds as she fills another water bottle. The boys stop and stare at the (H/C) haired girl. They blink several times as she fills yet another water bottle. They then burst out laughing. (Name) jumps

"Oh man, You're great (Name)-chan!" The owlish boy comments "My name's Bokuto Koutarou, this guy's Kuroo Tetsurou!"

"Sup!"

"You have to hang out with us at some point! Or something! Keep talking to us at least! Here! Here's my number!" he begins to write numbers down on an old receipt and shoves it into (Name)'s hands.

"Take mine too. You're pretty cool (Name)-chan."

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THESE!" (Name) snaps at them. They only laugh harder.

"See ya around (Name)-chan!" Kuroo waves as he leaves with Bokuto. (Name) looks at both numbers and sighs.

"Why does this always happen?"

After returning to the gym, the first years immediately start asking questions

"So, anything happen?" Satori was the first to ask, and (Name) sighed as she dug in her pockets.

"No way, again?" Eita asks with his head cocked to the side. (Name) then brings out Bokuto's number written on an old receipt. "How does that keep happening to you?" (Name) then lifts a finger as if to say 'wait a moment' and fans out the receipts to reveal Kuroo's number underneath Bokuto's.

"TWO?!" Satori screeches. "Jeez, (Name), you're popular."

"I just need to start wearing a bag over my head when I fill your guys' water bottles. This is getting ridiculous." (Name) stuffs the numbers back into her pocket and sighs.

"So what are you gonna do with those numbers?" Satori asks and keeps Wakatoshi in the corner of his eye.

"They aren't as bad as Oikawa, but I have absolutely no interest in them romantically. I'll keep them for now, but only just in case I need to use them." She sits down on the bench and waits for the game to begin, not noticing intense eyes watching her.

Most of the first years were put in the reserves most of the games. The only exception (Which most of you saw coming) was Wakatoshi. Satori began teasing and laying on the miracle boy thick at nationals.

The coach would continue pushing the boys even further, but he seemed satisfied with where they got eliminated. The boys were exhausted once they got back to the hotel room on the final day. Satori for once was quiet, Eita wouldn't stop whining, however. Hayato's legs were twitching non-stop, Leon was fast asleep, and Wakatoshi laid face down on his futon. (Name) entered their room with ice, heating pads, and fruit.

"I got you guys something." She says as she shuts the door behind her. Hayato, Satori, and a whining Eita all looked up at (Name).

"You're an angel, golden girl," Satori mutters. Hayato nods and Eita moans.

"You guys are really out of it, and you didn't play as much as the seniors. Well, except for Wakatoshi." (Name) looked over at the boy who was face down. "I can only imagine coach is going to be harsh on you during the training camp."

"Don't talk about the training caaaamp, (Naaaaaaame)" Eita whined. She tossed him an apple. He barely caught it.

"It's in a mountain retreat, so it sounds pretty luxurious compared to what other schools can afford." (Name) then walks over to Satori and gives him an ice pack to hold. "Hot springs and everything. The rough part is running in the mountains."

"Please stop talking about it (Name), I don't want to think about running," Hayato begs as he reaches for one of the ice packs (Name) brought in. (Name) obliged and hands him the ice pack. She looks over at Leon and sighs. He fell asleep without a blanket.

"Well regardless, if you guys are up to it, we have time to explore Tokyo tomorrow." She takes a blanket from nearby and covers Leon. "I want to, but I understand that you guys must be exhausted"

"I'm going." Wakatoshi's stern voice cuts through the conversation. He turns his head to look at (Name) "You aren't going alone." (Name) is taken aback, but she walks over to Wakatoshi and begins rubbing his back to comfort him.

"You don't have to. You're the first year that played the most, so you absolutely don't have to." his body becomes less tense under her touch as her fingertips skate across his back.

"I want to. So I am." He replies once more. (Name) sighs.

"Alright. I'll text you the information tomorrow, Wakatoshi." She then places a heating pad on his left shoulder and places a banana down at the front of his futon. "Everyone get some rest, you've earned it." (Name) then leaves the room. Wakatoshi sighs lightly as he attempts to regain as much strength as possible in a short amount of time.

"I guess that worked out better than I thought?" Leon suddenly bursts to life as soon as he's certain (Name) is out of hearing range.

"Yeah, but now Wakatoshi has a date with (Name)," Satori says as he begins to fiddle with the ice pack he was given.

"Yup, all we gotta do now is make sure Wakatoshi can stand tomorrow." Eita glances over at the up and coming Ace. "So uh... how's that coming along?" Wakatoshi grunts as he begins to push himself up off the futon before his arms give out and he flops right back down on the futon.


	19. Tokyo expedition

(Name) decided to wear the dress her grandmother had given her. It was a nice sundress that rested just above her knees. With a rolled-up jean jacket, it was a cute entourage. She wore ballet flats that were easy to move in as well. She knew she'd be doing a lot of walking. She hid her knee brace against her black tights.

"(Name)" a familiar voice called to her. She turned her head to see Wakatoshi in a pair of nice jeans, an open dress shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black t-shirt. (Name) smiled at him. It almost killed him.

"Ready to go? How are the others?"

"Satori and Eita didn't get out of bed this morning. Leon fell asleep in the shower."

"And Hayato?"

"Fell asleep in breakfast." (Name) winced. Her poor boys.

"How are you holding up?" (Name) asks the tired-looking boy.

"I'm alright. I was able to rest more than the others." (Name) smiles.

"That's good. I was worried about you the most you know." She begins walking. His legs became restless at her comment. "Come on, the Tokyo tower is what most people want to see." Wakatoshi blushes slightly at what she says but follows her.

The walk was peaceful as Wakatoshi made sure he was the one in between (Name) and the street. She didn't even notice it, but it was a protective measure placed by Wakatoshi. He also glared at anyone who would look (Name) up and down.

(Name) led him around a little as they explored shops and food, but they had to stop in a giant sporting goods store. (Name) began ogling some volleyball shoes.

"Mine are fine, but those look really cool..." she mutters. Wakatoshi looks over the shoes with the same interest level. "Ah, we can shop in Miyagi too, we should probably get goi-" (Name)'s happy face froze as she began to process what she had just seen. She had seen a man with neatly cut (H/C) hair with a baseball cap and a medical mask wearing a jacket and sunglasses, covering most of his body with a newspaper. He would occasionally peer over the newspaper and his sunglasses, revealing his emotionless brown eyes.

"... (Name)?" Wakatoshi blinked as (Name) stood there frozen. "(Name)," Wakatoshi is hesitant to put his hand on her shoulder in fear of overstepping her boundaries. He blinked several times at her as she stood frozen, but she finally let out a sentence.

"We need to leave." (Name) then suddenly grabs Wakatoshi's hand and begins to drag him out. His eyes widen at her touch, her hand is soft, and her grip was strong. His heart raced as he began to feel restless. He wanted to lace her fingers in between his, but he knew that would be overstepping. He took a deep breath through his nose as (Name) led him out of the store and into the street. He never knew one action could be heaven and could be hell at the same time.

He was holding (Name)'s hand, that was a lot for him, but at the same time he wanted to grip her hand tighter, he wanted to be walking side by side, not dragged along. (Name) then leads him into a small vendor's stall. She uses Wakatoshi's body to hide behind, coming in close to his chest. Instinctively, he wraps his arms around her. His heart was going wild as (Name) leaned up against his chest.

"Sorry about this Wakatoshi, but that looks like my father is trying to disguise himself and follow us," she explains. She seemed fine with him holding her. She looked up slightly at Wakatoshi, and she felt her own heart race slightly. Why did she feel like this? It was Wakatoshi? She began to feel slightly restless herself.

"It's fine." He tells her bluntly. She smiles and then peers past him. She witnesses her father run past the stand. She sighs and rests her forehead against Wakatoshi's chest. He was quiet, but it was comforting. (Name) couldn't help but stay with Wakatoshi like that for a few minutes while in a daze. He gently stroked her back, hesitant to move any further than he already had. What Eita had said to him still plagued his thoughts about her. He never thought about rejection before. He never had to. He never had an interest in girls like he had an interest in (Name). He hated keeping secrets though, and he was tempted to confess right then and there.

(Name) though slowly pulled away as soon as she was certain her father was gone. She took one last peek before letting out a sigh of relief.

"I think we're good to go." She then walks out of the stall with Wakatoshi close behind her. "That's for certain one of the many reasons I went to Shiratorizawa, that and the scholarship they offered me for middle school. Whenever I walked home from school with friends, my father would follow me. He would specifically take his lunch breaks during the time I would walk home." (Name) recounted. "Actually, I started playing volleyball as soon as I could because I knew he would do that. I just happened to fall in love with it after that." Wakatoshi quickly caught up with her and walked beside her. He listened intently to every word that fell from her lips. "My grandfather was no better though. He constantly berated my father, saying he wasn't doing enough, and he started coaching my little tykes volleyball. I became paranoid that my grandfather was going easy on me, so I began pushing myself in my own practices." (Name) gives Wakatoshi an exasperated smile. "Mom wasn't exactly model either. She was always monitoring everything I did, whether it was how much water I was drinking or what I was eating, how many friends I had, and who they were, she was just as paranoid as my dad. She even read my journal as a kid."

"That's what you meant on the train." Wakatoshi inputs. "When you said home was awkward." (Name) nods

"The only one who actually respected me as being an individual was my grandmother. She let me be a normal kid." (Name) smiles as she looks forward. "I wonder how she's doing."

"Does she live in Tokyo?" Wakatoshi asks in his normal flat tone. (Name) nods

"Yeah, she lives just a little while away from here."

"Do you want to visit her?" Wakatoshi turns to her and gives her a stare. (Name)'s eyes widen slightly.

"If we do that, it's all we'd have time left to do." She replies. "You probably want to go visi-"

"If it makes you happy, then I don't care." He says in a blunt tone. His gaze doesn't waver from (Name)'s face. (Name) stares back at him. Her heart skips a beat. She nods slowly, she can't find words.

"If... if you're really okay with it." He gives her a small smile.

"Which way is it?"

After a short subway trip, they find themselves in a residential area. The houses are quaint, and the yards pristine. Children played on the sidewalks as their parents watched them from the entrances of their homes. Some have volleyballs and are attempting to toss and spike to each other. Wakatoshi takes notice but focuses his attention back to the girl he was walking with. Some children stop and stare at the tall Wakatoshi in amazement, hoping that someday they'll be that tall.

(Name) walks up to a nice looking house with a garden out front. She walks up the steps and gently knocks on the door as Wakatoshi waits behind her. He took the opportunity to look around a little more. The garden was filled with herbs and flowers of a wide array of colors and shapes. Some of the herbs had signs that they had been cut with scissors.

The door opens with a creak as the old house shifts slightly. An elderly looking woman with a sweet face opens the door. Her hair was tied up in a bun with floral pins adorning the base. Her old and wrinkled face first showed confusion, but once she saw a familiar smile mixed with familiar (E/C) eyes, her wrinkles began to deepen around her eyes and mouth as she smiled.

"(Name)-chan, it's good to see you." Her voice was sweet and tender. Motherly.

"Grandmother, it's good to see you too. I thought I'd visit while I was here for volleyball tournaments." (Name)'s voice was very similar in her sweetness. The older woman then takes her granddaughter's hands in her own. She then turns her attention to the tall boy at her doorstep.

"You must be her friend, correct? Wakatoshi-kun. I've heard about you and your team." The elderly woman then gently removes one of her hands from her granddaughter's and reaches out for Wakatoshi. "Thank you for taking care of her. Please, come in, come in. I'll prepare some tea." The woman was nothing like his own grandmother. This woman was gentle and warm. He lightly accepts the woman's hand as she leads them inside.

"I might have told her all about you guys," (Name) lets a nervous laugh escape her chest. Wakatoshi nods.

"You two can sit, this old woman can make the tea by herself" (Name)'s grandmother waved the two of them off. (Name) sighed, but she obeyed her grandmother. The interior of her home was simple and filled with blankets and plants. There were bookshelves filled with books detailing various medicinal herbs and old medical information. There were some old photos on a table of a familiar-looking little girl with big (E/C) eyes and short (H/C) hair. She was tossing a volleyball. (Name) leads Wakatoshi into a room with a table and some cushions. (Name) takes a seat as she lets out a relaxed sigh.

"She reminds me of you," Wakatoshi states as he takes a seat next to (Name)

"Eh? Does she?"

"She's very gentle. Motherly." He could see how the elderly woman would be a comfort among her parents and grandfather. He was also very glad that she seemed to take after her.

"I'm glad you decided to visit, but where is the rest of your team, dear?" Her voice flows through the house like a silk river. The grinding of a mortar and pestle accompanied the sound of her voice.

"They just got done with nationals, grandma. They were very tired and didn't want to walk around Tokyo." The sound of water filling a kettle crept its way into the room as well as she hummed out of understanding.

"You must be built like an Ox then, Wakatoshi-kun." the clicking of a gas stove was rhythmic and consistent until the gas lit.

"(Name) does a good job of caring for us." Wakatoshi was honest when he spoke of (Name), and it made her blush slightly. A gruff chuckle responded to Wakatoshi's words.

"I see, I'm glad you think so fondly of her." (Name)'s grandmother replies. The sound of water babbling as it was being poured was soothing, and soon enough (Name)'s grandmother entered the room once again holding a tray with an overly floral teapot resting atop it. Next to it were a few plain-looking cups and a rather strange tong looking device with a metal mesh ball on it. The mesh ball was filled with crushed tea leaves. Once she places the tray down, she opens up the floral teapot and places the mesh ball inside, squeezing the handle. "I should introduce myself. Call me Fusako, I'm (Name)'s grandmother."

"Thank you for inviting me in, Fusako-san." Wakatoshi bowed his head slightly. Fusako let out a small chuckle.

"Polite I see." the kind old woman removed the mesh ball from the pot and placed it to the side. She then expertly poured the tea for her granddaughter and her guest. "So you both attend the same school." It was more of a statement than a question. "Do you live in the dorms as well?" Wakatoshi nods.

"He and another one of our friends and teammates are roommates." Fusako smiles as she lifts the cup to her mouth and allowed the steam to brush her face.

"Ah, so you all are close I'm guessing." (Name) nodded. "I'm glad. How have you been dear? I see you're wearing the dress I gave you."

"Yes, thank you again, grandma. It was very thoughtful of you. I've been okay. Very happy with how far the team got." Wakatoshi blushed slightly. Fukaso takes notice, but she says nothing. She respects her Granddaughter's privacy.

"Mmhm, that's good (Name)-chan," She then looks over at Wakatoshi "Should I start sending a little more tea? Do the others like tea too?" Her voice and gaze were soothing.

"I'd need a diffuser, but yes, they do like tea." Fusako smiles

"I'll happily send you off with a diffuser and some fresh tea." (Name) takes a sip of the tea and relaxes a bit from the stress she's been feeling recently. Her blissful face puts Wakatoshi at ease as well.

After some idle chatting, (Name) noticed the time and thanked her grandmother again for allowing her into her home along with Wakatoshi. As her granddaughter shrank into the horizon with the protective boy, Fusako smiled. She was glad someone like him had taken an interest in her.


	20. Bad Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite not being able to fly, the injured eagle shows she's capable of taking care of herself.

The boys and (Name) stared up at the resort and blinked owlishly. Satori looked over at his team and then back up to make sure they were seeing what he was seeing.

"I... Probably should have looked at pictures beforehand." (Name) admits as she struggles to take in the large, pristine, dark wood structure before her. Her team nods as they stare at the large resort. This is where the training camp was to take place. After the Interhigh nationals, it was immediately on to training camp for their break.

The large horizontal boards made up the exterior, and ornately placed rocks with professionally cut shrubbery decorated the courtyard area. The exterior wall was made up of beautifully stacked masonry, and the roof was a traditional tile style. The upperclassmen and the coaches walk past the first years as they walk in. The large imposing building seemed to be nothing to them.

"First years seemed shocked." A senior let out a small laugh.

"We were too when we first saw this place." another shrugged nonchalantly. They entered the establishment, leaving the first years out in the cold. Wakatoshi noticed the slight chill and began to walk inside, hoping the others would follow. Seeing their future ace leaving them, the rest of the team catches up and walks with him.

The team quickly gets settled in their designated rooms, finding themselves in pairs similar to how their roommate situation is. Hayato, however, is placed with Leon and Wakatoshi instead of being placed with a third year. He was relieved that he didn't have to spend the entire training camp with an upperclassman, releasing him temporarily from his personal hell. (Name) got her own room, and she couldn't help but feel slightly lonely. Her room was also farther away from the boys. She understood why the school did that, but it wouldn't have killed them for them to have her room be a little bit closer to her friends. She sighed as she looked around, her room was close to the kitchen, so at least it wouldn't be much of a trek to make breakfast in the morning. She looked in the kitchen and began making herself acquainted with it. She checked the ingredients and the utensils, and she looked over her list of what she was making. The coach had given her free rein of whatever she wanted to make, knowing she wouldn't serve them improperly. It warmed her heart how he trusted her, and she wouldn't take it for granted. She looked at the time and nods. Time to get started on dinner. She had a lot of food to make.

The boys return from the mountains with both coaches, exhausted and hungry.

"It was kinda weird without (Name) there, huh?" Eita comments as he opens the door to the resort.

"She shouldn't try and come up to the mountains with us. Her knee might not be able to handle it." Wakatoshi replies as he enters. Leon smiles at him

"If I didn't know any better Wakatoshi, I'd consider that a rude comment" Hayato nods as he enters. Satori hums.

"Well you know, Miracle boy is just worried about his not yet girlfriend." he loved to tease about (Name), and since (Name) wasn't there the entire time in the mountains, he got to tease him about it all he wanted.

"Now that we're back in the resort, you're probably gonna have to stop that." Eita gives Satori an annoyed smile. Wakatoshi didn't seem to care much. Nothing Satori said was untrue. He was worried, and (Name) wasn't his girlfriend. The seniors ahead of them also teased him, but they were more encouraging of the crush than anything, especially the ones who had placed their bets.

Some second years had also started placing bets, but their bets were on Wakatoshi confessing in his second year, not the first. Eita, Leon, and Hayato all sigh at their seniors. If Wakatoshi was being this obvious, how long until (Name) figured it out?

As they walked towards the dining hall, a heavenly aroma wafts through the hall. It was a welcome smell as the boys were starving. The first years quickly peer into the kitchen to see (Name) with mountains of food prepared. She wore a bandana and an apron as she cooked, even though she was able to keep herself pristine. She felt eyes watching her, and turned to see her first years.

"Oh, Hey, what's up?" She asks as she begins to take plates down from the cabinets.

"Did... did you make all this?" Hayato asks. She looked at them with a confused look.

"Yeah? Who else would? You were out with the coaches, and I'm the only manager." She states flatly. "This is what a manager does, guys... Why are you surprised?"

"How long did this take by yourself?" Leon asks as he looks at all the food. (Name) begins checking on some rice as she answered their questions.

"I started I think 1 or 2 hours ago. This kitchen is big, so I was able to get more done in a small amount of time,"

"Have you been standing all that time?" Wakatoshi suddenly comes into the kitchen and looks her over. "You need to rest if you have." He demanded. (Name) sighs.

"And you've been in the mountains. You should be refueling right now. I'm fine."

"They're arguing about each other's well being..." Eita sweats and Satori nods. Leon scratches the back of his neck as he enters

"So what did you make (Name)?" He attempted to diffuse (Name)'s and Wakatoshi's worry war. (Name) calms down slightly as Wakatoshi tries to figure out a way to make (Name) sit for just 5 minutes. That's all he needed from her, for her to just sit for 5 minutes.

"Curry. It's easy to make in large quantities and I can add protein to it. Why, did you want something different?"

"Ah! No that's perfect (Name)!" Leon raised his hands to dismiss any doubtful thoughts she had. (Name) smiled as she refocused her attention.

"Well it's ready, you guys should go sit, I'll bring it in."

"It's heavy. I'll get it." Wakatoshi interjects. (Name) forms an irk mark on her head as Wakatoshi becomes overbearing. With her patience wearing thin, she grabs both his wrists in a strong, fluid motion, causing everyone else in the room to jump.

"The quicker you let me do my job as a manager, the quicker I'll rest, Wakatoshi." He refused to back down and grabbed her wrists back. The air became uncomfortable,

"Let me help you, and you'll be done quicker, (Name)." Neither of them seemed to be backing down any time soon.

Some of the seniors began peering in to see what was going on, some thought a confession was about to happen, while others thought a fall out was happening. Leon glanced at Hayato, Eita, and Satori with a tired expression. (Name) and Wakatoshi were having a worry war, plain and simple. Wakatoshi cared too much for (Name) and wanted to make sure she was resting, but (Name) had too strong of motherly instincts along with pride to let Wakatoshi care for her like he wanted to. Eita sighed.

"Why don't we all carry it. Each of us grab a pot. It'll be done in no time." Eita suggests as he heads towards a pot of food. Hayato and Leon nod as they grab the potholders that were once on the counter.

"But-" (Name) began, but Wakatoshi gripped her wrists slightly, catching her attention. She looked up at him to see a brief look of worry cross his face before returning to his normal, monotone expression. (Name) took the hint and let go of his wrists, finally letting him help. Wakatoshi slowly slid his hands off her wrists and down past her palms, allowing his fingertips to touch hers. She then lets her arms rest at her side as Wakatoshi goes to grab a pot of food. (Name) then looks at her seniors in the hall and gives them a raised eyebrow. "So are you all helping too or are you just going to stand there?" they weren't as used to the glare of their manager as the first years were, so they obeyed her without much struggle.

(Name) was finally sitting as she ate. She watched carefully at the quantities of food the boys ate, but they didn't give her much trouble. They were all thoroughly hungry from an intense day of training.

Some of the upperclassmen began peering over at (Name) every once in a while as if they were waiting for something. (Name) finished up her food and noticed their gazes, but gave no indication of it. Instead, she looked at the other first years and gave a wide smile.

"Hopefully you guys won't feel as sore after this training camp, what with the hot springs and all." Satori perks up and nods

"Oh yeah! Those should help keep us from getting too sore!"

"Yeah but it probably also means Coach can push us harder." Leon gave out a small chuckle. Wakatoshi grunts.

"We need to work harder anyway." The rest of the first years gawk at him.

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Wakatoshi" (Name) retorts as she gets up and gathers some of the plates. Just then, some of the upperclassmen spring to life as they gather their dishes, along with grabbing the dishes in (Name)'s hands. (Name) looks at them with a confused look

"Don't worry! We'll get this done in no time (Name)-chan! You should get ready to get some rest!" an overly enthusiastic second year beamed at her. His smile was overly sweet.

"Although you probably need a bath first!" a third-year chimed in as he leaned in towards her. Another upperclassman smile as he gathers their dishes and quickly goes to rinse them. Satori began to sense that something was up.

"Thanks, I guess?" (Name) replies. "I'm going to go take a bath then. Be good!" she turns and exits the room as the upperclassmen watch her leave. The suspicious group of upperclassmen smiled at each other as they gave each other a sly high five. Satori now knew something was up.

The entire team was enjoying the main attraction of the resort, the hot springs. Leon and Wakatoshi both had their eyes closed as they let the warm waters soothe their aching muscles. Hayato and Eita were both washing up, but Satori kept a close eye on the upperclassmen as he rested his head on the edge of the hot spring. He had a really good guess of what the 'helpful' group of boys that never assisted (Name) in anything was doing.

"So you saw her go in? She's in there?" one second-year whispered. A third-year nodded.

"She is, definitely!" The third-year then took his thumb as he slid it in between two of the wooden boards that made up the wall between the men's and women's side. "Our third years found this last year, but we had no woman manager at the time, so it was completely useless." The third-year began to blush as a wide smile crept across his face.

"Nice going Senpais! Looking after us even after they graduate!" an excited second-year says as he peers over his third-year's shoulder with a blush. Slowly, they begin to move the board out of the way in hopes of catching a glimpse of their (H/C) manager in the bath. Satori what about to whip around and alert Wakatoshi that their seniors were about to peep in on (Name), but before a single sound could escape his mouth, the board is ripped back, revealing a smiling, fully clothed (Name). Satori's and his seniors' eyes nearly pop out of their heads as (Name)'s kind, motherly eyes look at her Seniors. Leon's and Wakatoshi's eyes shoot open at the loud sound of the board being ripped back by (Name). Hayato and Eita quickly cover themselves as the rest of the boys quickly sunk further into the spring to hide.

"Ah, Senpais! It seems I've found a hole! What are you guys doing so close to it? You should be resting and relaxing in the springs, no?" Her kind tone was frightening as her seniors shook. "You wouldn't happen to be trying to peek, right?" She shifted her smile to a glare "You aren't that disgusting, right Senpais?" a shiver wracked the boys' team. Their manager was clearly not amused.

She smacked her hands down on their shoulders, gripping her nails into their skin, she then places a foot on the second-year's chest behind the two she had a vice grip on and kicked him into the pool of water. She then threw her senpais into the water along with him. Other seniors who weren't by the crack in the fence quickly moved out of the way of their three flying teammates. Her face darkens as she looks down on the peeping boys. "Try that again and I guarantee you won't get off that lightly. I know where you sleep." her bright, happy face then returns to her once more as she gives a golden smile. "Don't stay in the waters too long, okay? Rest up! Be good!" just as quickly as it was ripped open, the board was back in its original place dividing the sexes. A silence fills the air as nervous and terrified boys stare at nowhere in particular. their fear consumed their thoughts.

"(Name) seems to be able to take care of herself pretty well, huh?" Leon finally says with a nervous smile as he thought about her wrath. Wakatoshi hesitantly nods as he stares at the board and blinks silently.


	21. Secrets

After the threat that (Name) made towards her Seniors, the training camp went on without much incident. Wakatoshi still insisted on helping her at every turn, but she listened to Leon's explanation of how he only worried about her and began letting him help. The more he helped her, the more Satori teased him about being an assistant manager. This theme continued even once they returned to school.

As spring approached, so did the spring tournament. The air had shifted and brought in fresh beginnings and new opportunities with the arrival of spring. Some of the third-years studied in between practices, hoping that their volleyball would get them into nice colleges, but also preparing for the worst. (Name) would constantly find third-years exhausted from both practice and studying asleep in the club room. She would only sigh as she called her first-year squad to come and assist her.

Trees began to change color, and beauty soon swept the Shiratorizawa campus. Girls with pastel heart decorated envelopes watch the boys of their affections as they attempt to approach them and spew their hearts to them. Each day there was a new confession in the mess hall, and each day a heart was either broken or a relationship was formed. On days that relationships were formed, Wakatoshi got a confidence boost and debated confessing to (Name) himself, but that confidence would quickly be extinguished when he saw rejections and heartbreaks happen either the same day or the day right after.

"Yeesh, spring sure does bring out the friskies in people, huh?" Satori says as he watches as a heartbroken boy runs out of the mess hall after his crush rejected him. Eita lifts his head from his phone in just enough time to see the dejected boy run out the doors. Leon gave a pitying glance to the door and hums in response. Hayato sighs and thought back to how he had been seeing the boy psych himself the period before.

"Yeah, poor guy. He's in my class. He really liked the girl." Satori shrugged as he stuck a piece of food in his mouth. (Name) would be proud of his choices.

"We'll probably see another one tomorrow too. The closer it gets to Valentine's day, the more people want to confess." Satori then thinks about what he just said and looks over at Wakatoshi. The rest of the first-years do the same. Wakatoshi was looking straight down into his food. He felt like a fish out of water. He lets out a quick huff through his nose.

"... what do we do for him?" Eita questions. Leon gives Wakatoshi a pitying smile

"There's not much we can do. White's day isn't for another month, and we have no idea how (Name) feels about Wakatoshi." Leon places a hand on Wakatoshi's shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "It's better if we wait. We still have time."

"I don't like keeping secrets." Wakatoshi states. Leon hums his knowing tune.

"Man, it's too bad we don't have another girl manager, we could get her to talk to (Name) about that kind of stuff." Satori flops his head down on the table "We could have her be like an inside agent." Hayato narrows his eyes.

"You sure it's not so you can try and make the other manager your girlfriend?" Hayato says in a suspicious tone. Satori flings his head up and places one of his spider-like hands to his chest

"Hey, I'll have you know, I have my eyes on someone!" He feigned hurt feelings as he dramatically flipped his head up.

"You mean that girl whose name you don't even know? The one who's a year younger than you and has 2 older brother-like figures protecting her? The one that the only reason she talked to you was because of (Name) and probably won't talk to you again willingly? That one?" Eita jabs as he nonchalantly scrolls on his phone, wounding Satori.

"Ouch." Leon comments. Wakatoshi's eyes widen at his setter's ruthlessness.

"Cutting deep Eita!" Hayato chuckles, but Eita only gives him an exasperated stare and tired smile.

"You didn't have to hear about her for 3 days straight." Satori then pouted as he looked to the side.

"Man, lots of confessions going on. Wonder if any of my boys are getting confessed to right now?" (Name) wonders as she looks at the candies lining the shelves of a department store. She had been eyeing them for a while and planned on getting some for her team and coaches. She did the same thing last year for the boys she tutored and taught. She remembered little Goshiki's bright confident face when she presented him with a few chocolates and Taichi's slight expression change. Itsuki paraded the store-bought treats like they were homemade, even though (Name) had made it very clear that this was just a friendly gesture. "Hm, Leon seems like he'd have a lot of secret admirers, or at least he should! He's such a sweety." (Name) picked through the sports-themed chocolates in hopes of finding an appropriate one. "Eita too. I feel like a girl will confess to him. One has to." She finally finds the ones she was looking for. "Ah, here they are!" She gives them a quick look over and decides she needs 2 to feed her team "Satori might not get a confession, but I feel like Hayato would!" (Name) smiles, but then her mind wanders to Wakatoshi getting confessed to. The thought hurt her slightly. "If he got confessed to... would he say yes?" (Name) furrowed her brow and looked down at the volleyball shaped chocolates. She had to admit, she did have a crush. A small one, but she had a crush on Wakatoshi. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he dated someone else, but it wouldn't be pleasant either. (Name) shook her head as she brought herself out of those thoughts. "I should get these and get out of here. I never told the boys where I was, so they're probably going to send a text at any moment" On queue, (Name)'s phone buzzes in her pocket. She takes it out to see a message from Wakatoshi asking for her whereabouts. (Name) laughs to herself at his predictability and her heart pounds a little.

The gym was filled with second and third-year anticipation. They were waiting to see what (Name) had for Wakatoshi on Valentine's day. Each of them carefully watching for (Name) to come through that door and each waiting for either nothing or a flushed first year pinning for the Miracle boy's attention. An increasing amount of money was on the line.

Finally (Name) arrived with a cheery look on her face. The first years greet her like they always do and she takes her place next to the coaches. She then quietly tells them something and they nod in approval. This made some of the boys curious, others brushed it off as what (Name) always did during practice.

As practice was nearing an end, (Name) went out quickly to the manager's room. Some upperclassmen began chattering

"She has to be fetching homemade sweets for Ushijima,"

"Are you kidding me, bro? Why would she do it in front of everyone!"

"To show off? I don't know!" Eita and Hayato looked at each other in a deadpan manner as upperclassmen began to bicker again. If (Name) did confess, that would make things a hell of a lot easier on them.

Wakatoshi began thinking about the possibility of a confession now, and he didn't like the idea of it being so public, but a confession is something he had been secretly pining for.

(Name) walked back into the gym with a department store bag. Her upturned lips instigated curiosity in the upperclassmen, and excitement in Wakatoshi. The first years carefully watch with wide eyes and lips pressed together tightly as she continued to walk into the gym. Was she going to confess?!

Their excited thoughts were suddenly speared when they heard the demon coach clear his aged throat, pulling his team's attention to him.

"You boys are lucky to have a sweet girl like (L/Name) as a manager. She was kind enough to buy you all chocolates for today. Remember to thank her or you're running extra laps." The other, sweeter coach gave him a nervous smile but understood that the coach greatly appreciated anything (Name) did for his team and often, in his own special standoffish way, treated her like a granddaughter.

The boys smiled with blank eyes. They really thought a confession was going to happen, but they should have known (Name) would have thought about all of them today.

"There's enough for each of you to have one. I hope you enjoy the types I got." (Name) takes the long boxes of chocolates out of the bag. The younger coach offered to hold one for her, and she gladly accepts his assistance. "There's even enough for you too, coach!" He gave a wrinkled smile to her. He rarely showed softness, but when he did, it was towards (Name).

The team soon gathered around their manager and coach, looking over the options. Satori and Leon gently pat Wakatoshi's back, but he was secretly relieved. Something inside him wasn't quite ready for a confession, but another part of him wanted it badly.

He hated keeping secrets. Especially from (Name).


	22. Ill will

The giant gym bustled with excited and nervous athletes. Some had feigned brave looks as they felt lost without their third years, while others proudly stood tall with the support and comfort of their seniors. Some lost their confidence when they saw Shiratorizawa with all its seniors.

(Name) looked around corners and down halls, looking for any signs of life that might give her trouble. She looked behind the plants even, just to double-check. She was paranoid, to say the least. Once satisfied, she began filling water bottles. She was halfway through when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

She wanted to murder someone.

(Name) then shot all that murderous energy behind her as she glared, but soon realized it was friendly fire as a gorgeous girl with glasses jumped. (Name) Immediately softened gaze,

"Kiyoko-san!" she yelped. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were someone else!" she lifted her hands towards her friend as a way to apologize for what she did. Kiyoko smiled at her.

"Do you run into a lot of people here?" she asked in a soft tone, (Name) sighed.

"You could say that..." Kiyoko let out a small giggle at (Name)'s comment. "Do you wanna fill up your water bottles with me?" (Name) tilts her head, letting some of her (H/C) locks spill over onto her shoulder. Kiyoko nods and begins to stand beside her. her and (Name)'s smiles brighten the atmosphere around them to be unbearably bright, and most volleyball boys didn't have enough courage to approach them while they giggled and chatted with one another.

Once they were done with their tasks, they gave each other a hug goodbye. They then walked in opposite directions down the hall as they waved to one another.

Back in the gym, Wakatoshi was debating texting (Name) to check on her whereabouts. His restlessness was noticeable among his friends and teammates as they continued to warm up. Leon was about to soothe him, but they soon spotted a familiar (H/C) head bob into the gym. Her face was blissful, happy, and full of life.

"(Name)-chan! You took a while! Run into anyone?" Satori asks at his first opportunity. Wakatoshi listens in. Her large smile feels warm.

"I did, I ran into Kiyoko, a fellow manager. It was nice talking to her again!" (Name) then set the water bottles down and began her checks with the coaches. Wakatoshi let out a silent sigh of relief that she didn't run into trouble. After confirming that (Name) was okay, he became fully focused on Volleyball. Leon smiled. The super volleyball idiot was back.

As they usually did, Shiratorizawa tore and ripped their way through the Miyagi bracket, and Wakatoshi was playing at his peak. The upperclassmen were stretching as (Name) attempted to give them information on their final opponents that the underclassmen had looked over already, but they waved it off.

"You worry too much (Name)-chan! We've got this!" A second-year boasts with a puffed-out chest. Third-year nods with a cheeky grin. They weren't taking the finals seriously.

"Are you sure Senpais? One look at their information wouldn't hurt you know," (Name) held up the folder again. She had spent the entire night before scraping up enough information on the opposing team to give her boys an edge, but the seniors blew her off before even looking at her folders. She was tired after all her research, and she might have strained herself, that mixed with the pollen polluted spring air didn't help her feel well. She rubbed her eye again as another one of her upperclassmen waved it off again.

"Don't worry about it (Name)-chan!" The third-year roughly patted her head, instigating a headache. She blamed the headache on her seniors being overly confident and cocky and looked over at the team they were to play in the finals. They had been a dark horse the entire spring tournament, and (Name) worried that with overconfidence mixed with underestimating them would lead to heartbreak. (Name) knew that they had been a strong team in the past, and it seems like some of the third years on the other team have not forgotten their strength. Their bright yellow jerseys starkly contrasted the royal maroon of Shiratorizawa. During inter-high, the other team didn't seem like much, but it seems a wind of change had whipped through their team, transforming it into something else. This team had been training and salivating for a shot at victory. They were going to be tenacious, she could tell.

As the game began, Coach Washijo was clearly not pleased. The first set was hard-won, and he was quick to belittle them. His screaming, however, seemed to barely reach (Name), as she began to feel fatigued.

The second set went very similarly, but it was lost to the rival team. (Name) began to feel a cold sweat, but did her best to shake it off. She zipped up her jacket in an attempt to warm herself from this sudden chill. When the boys took a timeout, Wakatoshi was sensitive to (Name)'s sudden change. She attempted to hide it, but her normal bouncy self-seemed slowed, almost delayed. He quickly turned his attention back to his screaming coach, however, as he began poking holes in their technique. Every point they seemed to have to fight for tooth and nail.

During the third set (Name) had gone digging in her bag and fished out some headache medicine. Semi noticed (Name)'s movements from the reserve box and elbowed Leon to grab his attention. He also managed to catch both Hayato and Satori's attention as well. Semi subtly glanced at (Name), and they all followed his gaze. They witness (Name) quickly take the headache medicine, followed by taking a deep breath. Concern grew in their chests and faces as they watched their beloved manager look like she was going downhill. Their concern, however, snapped to themselves when Coach began yelling again. While he yelled, none of them notice (Name) stifle a cough. Shiratorizawa finally takes the set, making it 2:1

In between sets, Leon tried to check on (Name), but she told him not to worry and that she was fine. Wakatoshi press as well

"Are you sure? You look a little pale." He quickly adds

"I'm fine, don't worry about me okay?" She gave him a warm smile in an attempt to calm him "You have bigger things to worry about, like the fact that the coach has been silent this entire break." all her boys besides Wakatoshi flinch at her observation. "So do your best okay?" (Name) gives a slightly sarcastic smile, but it was like she was only half there.

The fourth set begins and Coach Washijo's silence was starting to give her more anxiety. He's never been this quiet unless he wanted (Name) to handle one of the first years, but none of the first years needed her skillset. None of them needed reminding. As the set continued, it was clear that the other team was fighting with everything they had. Shiratorizawa's cockiness had gotten to them. The first years didn't have that same cockiness, but it had infected the seniors like a weed. (Name) could only watch. The seniors refused to listen to their little first-year manager, they thought they were above her when it came to their volleyball. Their ideas cost them, and the match was now even. 2:2.

Wakatoshi was clearly feeling the fatigue. He started carrying a lot of his team near the end of the game and it took a toll on him. (Name) pushed aside her own crappy feelings to care for him the best she could. Anything she thought would help him feel better she did. This caused her to be up and about a lot. She was moving fast, and she began to feel it in her chest. It felt like it was constricting her as she moved to assist her team, but she ignored it. She couldn't just take a break now, they needed her.

In the 5th set, Wakatoshi pushed himself as hard as he could, and it worried (Name), but she understood. She gripped her thighs and dug her nails into her skin as she attempted to hide her ever-growing ragged breathing. It was now in the 5th set that she knew she wasn't well, but she still couldn't leave her team's side. If she made any indication of being unwell and leaving, she knew the first years' morale would be affected. She needed to be a constant. She needed to keep these volleyball idiots focused on the game in front of them.

"If you all play a disappointing game you're running back to the school!" Washijo screeched at his team. The other coach jumped slightly at his declaration but didn't doubt his threat.

She needed to be there for them. Without a doubt.

Especially after they lost. The team was crushed. It took Wakatoshi a good 5 minutes to process what had just happened, but it was instantaneous for Leon and Eita. Hayato kept it in the best he could along with Satori. (Name) pushed aside her tears to care for her team. It's all she could do now. She would always put them first.

As (Name) was comforting the first years, Wakatoshi shot an intense glare at his upperclassmen. They had been cocky and underestimated the opponent. They had not been playing at their best from the beginning, and it infuriated him. Washijo had a grave look on his face, and it scared the upperclassmen. It had been a while since they had seen their coach like this, and his silence was suffocating.

As (Name) was giving her best comfort to her upperclassmen, Washijo finally spoke.

"(Name)-chan, gather everything up, and board the bus. The rest of you, cool down and start running." his team flinched.

'HE WASN'T KIDDING!?' Satori internally screamed. Eita, Leon, and Hayato looked as if they were about to scream out of agony, but kept it bottled up. (Name) would probably have to play therapist and mom later.

"Get to it, the faster you do that, the faster we can have our post-game meeting. (Name)-chan, let's go." Washijo then calmly walks out of the gym with (Name) in toe, giving her team a pitying look. This was intense punishment, even for Washijo.

On the bus, (Name) felt her fever rising as her breathing became more ragged. She began coughing Washijo looked back at the first-year manager.

"You stayed up late for those notes, didn't you?" he questioned her in a softer tone. Tears were forming at the corner of her eyes from her intense coughing. She doesn't look at the older coach, but she nods. "Go straight back to the dorms when we get back. You are to rest. Understand?" She nods again. It felt hard to speak.

"Oh! You're back (Name)-chan, how were finals?" Nana asked lazily as she sat on one of the chairs they had in their dorm. (Name) didn't respond as her head started spinning. "(Name)-chan? You don't look so good, you doing okay?" Nana got up and checked on her roommate as she noticed (Name) was swaying slightly. "H-Hey, maybe you should sit down or something? Maybe we can get you to the nurse? Or I can bring her here," Nana didn't know how to deal with someone who was in (Name)'s condition. "Here, let's lay you down, come on," Nana leads (Name) into her room as she begins to cough. Nana tucks (Name) in before rushing out the door. She'd probably end up spending time in her boyfriend's dorm to avoid getting sick, but for now, she needed to get the nurse.

The first years crashed in Leon's and Wakatoshi's dorm after the meeting. Each of them was heartbroken and disappointed in themselves. Each was silent, and each was a sweaty mess. Satori laid on the floor while Eita and Hayato were leaning against the couch while sitting on the floor. Wakatoshi was laying on the couch as he glared at nothing. Leon had sunk into the beanbag chair. They hadn't seen (Name) at the meeting, and they were slightly concerned that she was mad at them.

"Hey, Wakatoshi, have you tried texting her?" Satori suggested as he barely lifted his head from the floor. Leon looked up at his still glaring roommate and decided to let him be.

"I think if (Name) really is angry at us, she'll only get angrier if we don't take care of ourselves," Eita suggests as he lifts himself painfully from the floor. "We should clean up and get some rest. It's probably what (Name) would have told us to do." Satori lifts his head again and couldn't help but tease

"Wow Eita, you'd make a great emergency replacement (Name)!" Eita gives Satori a glare before walking out the door with him and headed back to his dorm. Hayato sighs as he lifts himself up makes his way back to rugby player hell. At least he only had one more week of the boy until he graduated.

Once the door shut, Leon got up and went to shower. Before he closed his door, however, he looked back at Wakatoshi.

"You should get cleaned up and text her. If she doesn't respond you should check on her. I have a bad feeling." Leon shuts his door and leaves Wakatoshi in the common area. Wakatoshi shoots up and stared curiously at Leon's door. He blinks a few times before taking his advice. He sends (Name) a quick text before going to take a shower.

Once out of the shower, he checked his phone again. No response. His brow scrunched as he thought of possibilities, What did Leon notice? He decided to head up to (Name)'s dorm like his roommate had suggested. Anxiety filled his chest as he knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a familiar lazy 3rd year.

"Oh, it's you, super volleyball guy." She couldn't remember his name and didn't really care.

"Nana-senpai, where's (Name)?" He asked in a concerned tone. Nana blinked and tilted her head, then sighed

"That idiot... She didn't indicate anything, did she?" Nana then moved out of the doorway and pointed towards (Name)'s room. Hoarse, bark like coughing could be heard from the dorm. "If you didn't know, then she must have strained herself and then hid it. She's sick as a dog in there. Poor thing, her voice is probably gonna be shot." Wakatoshi then pushed Nana aside as he marched to her dorm room. He looked infuriated. He grabbed the door handle and slammed it open, causing the ill (Name) to jump in her bed. Her face was flushed, and her eyes half-lidded. Seeing her like this caused him to have mixed emotions. He hated it. (Name) looked to be in pain. The corner of her eyes were tear- stained. Her breathing was slightly ragged. "Careful Ushijima-kun, she has a fever. She could be contagious." Nana warns, but Wakatoshi continues to stare at (Name)

"Why didn't you say anything?" he approached (Name). She gave him a pained smile.

"Things were rough in the game, I didn't want to be a distraction." Her voice was painful to listen to. "Wakatoshi, I'll be okay I ju-"

"Stop talking. I'm not going anywhere." His voice was steady and his gaze was intense, it made (Name)'s heart race. Nana felt awkward and quickly left the dorm. The pressure he emitted was intense. (Name) looked at Wakatoshi as he stared her down. "You overexerted yourself, for what?" (Name) decided to use her phone to text him the answers.

 **5:56 pm** **From (Name):** The notes. I had trouble at first, so I kept searching into the night. I stayed up late for them. That mixed with the spring air probably didn't help.

Wakatoshi stared at his phone. He wanted to deck the seniors that turned down those notes now. He hit the power button on the side of his phone and placed it on (Name)'s nightstand. "Does it hurt your throat?" He asks as moves closer. (Name) nods. "Your chest too?" She nods again. He moves closer to her bed once again. She felt like crap in general, but his presence made things a bit easier. He then did something unexpected, however,

He embraced her and crawled into bed with her. He held her tightly and stroked her back. He began comforting her any way he could. (Name) was about to protest his close contact and his risk of getting sick, but Wakatoshi glared down.

"I'm not leaving you." He says simply as he brought the covers up. (Name)'s heart raced. What was overcoming her? What was this feeling? Why did Wakatoshi make her feel this way?

**_It's love doofus._ **

(Name)'s cheeks began to flush, but her fever hid them. He was comforting, warm, gentle and yet firm, He was strong as well. His grip on her was tight but in a loving way. It's the type of embrace that would be received from a loved one.

(Name) was in love. Without a doubt. She was in love with the blunt volleyball player. As her ragged breathing slowly calmed, she returned the embrace. His presence helped more than he could ever know.

Suddenly, a phone buzzed on (Name)'s nightstand. Wakatoshi quickly fetched it and checked the incoming message. (Name) felt tired and curled up closer into Wakatoshi's chest. He felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks redden, but he kept a straight face.

 **6:04** **pm** ******From Leon:** How's (Name)?

 **From Wakatoshi:** Fever, cough, sore throat.

 **From Satori:** so shes sick!? ༼ ಥل͟ಥ ༽

 **From Eita:** Can you not Satori?!

How can we help? Are you with her Wakatoshi?

 **From Wakatoshi:** I'm not leaving her.

 **From Leon:** I'm coming down. Be there in a sec.

 **From Wakatoshi:** Door's open. Be quiet when you come in.

(Name)'s sleeping.

 **From Hayato:** Okay, so that leaves Satori, Eita, and I to do stuff. We can probably grab her things.

The door to (Name)'s dorm swings open as Leon enters. He quietly closes the door behind him and peers into a dorm to check if it's (Name)'s. He disliked that he had to guess and might invade privacy, but Nana wasn't there to confirm which of the rooms was (Name)'s. Lucky for him, he got it on the first try. Leon peers in and almost choked when he sees Wakatoshi holding (Name) while laying down. Wakatoshi shoots him a glare however in an attempt to keep his roommate quiet. It works, as Leon stays silent. He inspects the scene before him a little closer and notices (Name) was fast asleep in Wakatoshi's arms. He must have been soothing her. He did mention (Name) had a cough and sore throat, so she must be in pain.

"Talk quietly," Wakatoshi demanded. (Name) didn't stir. He looked menacing as he protected (Name).

"So cough and sore throat?" Wakatoshi nods. "Sounds like changing of the seasons got to her, but I'm guessing there's more."

"She stayed up late working on the notes," Wakatoshi responds. Leon nods.

"That would do it." He looked down with concerned eyes for his manager, but then glanced back up at Wakatoshi. The way he held her made it look like he was protecting her from everything.

_A white eagle protects a golden one, her wings are clipped, and her feathers an unhealthy sheen, but he stays._

"So is there anything Hayato, Satori, and Eita can get?" Leon asked, (Name) stirs. Wakatoshi's attention is immediately drawn to the now awake, sick manager. She turns her head to Leon. Her cheeks are flushed with fever, and her eyes were glazed over from being tired. Wakatoshi held her as tightly as he could.

"Actually, can..." (Name) begins to cough into her sheets. Leon gave a pitying look to his manager,

"Just text whatever you need to them," Wakatoshi demanded. "Don't speak if it hurts." His stern voice made her shutter. She was falling faster and faster for him.

 **6:15** **pm** **From (Name):** Can you get something to soothe my throat?

Like something cold and sweet would be preferred.

Medicine too, for cough.

 **From Eita:** Right! Ice cream and cough medicine

 **From Satori:** Gross combo, but whatever.

 **From Hayato:** don't worry I hit him for you.

 **From Leon:** pick up a medical mask too. If we're all going to be here, we need to keep everyone from getting sick.

 **From Eita:** got it. We're on it.

(Name) drops her phone on the bed and curls back up to try and warm herself. Wakatoshi quickly embraces her and places his chin on the top of her head. He then looks up at Leon

"She has teas in her cabinets. Could you brew her something?" Wakatoshi asks. Leon smiles and nods.

"She only has the coffee maker, right? I'll go get our hot water maker." Leon then walks out and exits the little dorm room. (Name)'s heart could have jumped out of her chest at this moment. He was being gentle, he was taking care of her, but she continued to feel like crap. Wakatoshi took one of his hands and placed it on her forehead, not liking what he felt. He then pulled her in as close as he could to comfort her.

"Thank you..." She whispers to him. Her voice was strained and sounded painful.

"Rest." He told her as he rubbed her back. She began to drift off to sleep once again in his arms. Her illness got the better of her as she fell asleep relatively quickly. Leon entered the room with several boxes of (Name)'s herbal tea to ask which she wanted, but he was stopped by the sight of (Name) asleep again. Leon sighed and decided that he'd just pick one. After Leon left the room and quietly shut the door, Wakatoshi looked down at (Name). This was the third time she had fallen asleep on him. The first and second being on the same day. Back then he was just discovering he had the ability to feel like this. He was just discovering what it was like to feel for another person like this, and how incredibly vulnerable it made him. He was weak for her. It was definitely something that his parents didn't feel for one another, at least not anymore. After feeling what it felt like to be this close to her, he didn't want to let go.

As her chest steadily rose and fell with each breath she took, he took a risk. He carefully placed his lips against her forehead. Gentle enough to where he wouldn't disturb her, but firm enough to where he felt he got some form of satisfaction from it. Once he removed his lips from her forehead, he realized that he would never be fully satisfied, and had to settle for what he had now. It was bittersweet. He finally got a more intimate touch, but he could feel the unnatural heat emitting from her forehead. He carefully reached for his phone and shot Hayato a text. He was worried about (Name) and wanted the rest of the team to return quickly with supplies to make her feel better.

Leon had entered with a mug of tea. He gently set it down on the nightstand beside the bed Wakatoshi held (Name) in.

"I went with the one labeled 'sore throat.'" Leon informed as he began to leave the room. Wakatoshi gave him a confused look "I figured you wanted to be alone with her. So I'm leaving her with you. I know you'll take care of her." His roommate gave him a large smile and shut the door gently behind him. Wakatoshi lets out a small sigh. He wasn't wrong. He wanted to be alone with (Name), but there wasn't much he could do besides sneak a kiss on her head every once in a while. He gave her one last kiss on the head before closing his eyes as well.

"We're back," Eita enters the dorms followed by Hayato. They were both holding grocery bags along with Satori's arms as they drag the dazed teen into the room. Leon gives Satori a questioning look as he puts down the book he was reading.

"What happened to him?" Leon questions in a quieter tone, indicating to the other two that they needed to lower their voices.

"I think the girl that promised him a date gave him a kiss on the cheek or something," Hayato says as he quickly places the (F/F) Ice cream in the freezer. Leon was only more confused now. Eita sighed.

"The girl that made him promise to be (Name)'s friend, the one that he said he would do it in exchange for a date?" the setter says quietly as he takes out both cough medicine and a box of medical masks. "He's been basically useless since that kiss on the cheek." Leon placed a hand to his face and sighed. "So where's Wakatoshi and (Name)?" Eita looks around not seeing the two. Leon then gives him a smile and points to his left at a dorm room.

"Take a peek, but be quiet. Wakatoshi might kill you if you get too close." Leon warns. Eita scrunches his brow but follows Leon's advice. Hayato follows behind Eita carefully as they both peer into what they can only assume is (Name)'s dorm room. They have to both hold back surprised chokes as they see (Name) enveloped in Wakatoshi's arms as they sleep peacefully. Both of their faces were peaceful as they rested. Eita bites his lower lip as he looks out to Leon.

"I know. It's cute." He says quietly. "And no, I haven't gotten a picture." Eita sighs and looks over at the sleeping couple once again.

'Satori would be upset if I didn't' He thought as he took his phone out and quickly snapped a photo. Leon shakes his head as he looks at the still useless Satori.

A little while later, (Name) wakes up with Wakatoshi still holding her. She blushes as she realizes he must have fallen asleep with her. She notices a cup of tea, a medical mask and some cough medicine on her bedside table. She smiled and realized that Hayato, Satori, Eita, and Leon must be here too. She took a deep breath, which agitated a cough to wrack her body. Wakatoshi immediately woke up and held her tighter to provide comfort. She snatched the medical mask from the table and put it on in an attempt to keep anyone else from getting sick.

"How are you feeling?" his voice gave her goosebumps. Speaking wasn't ideal, so she put a hand to her throat to indicate what she wanted to say. He nodded at her.

Her dorm room door suddenly opened to reveal her first-year squad, although Satori seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

"She's awake!" Leon smiled. (Name) nodded.

"We brought you the ice cream if you want it, or do you want the cough medicine right now? Or tea? You have options (Name)," Eita sighed "We were worried you know." Hayato nodded. (Name) looked off to the side as a way of saying sorry.

"Wakatoshi refused to leave you, though. So if you're gonna thank someone for the stuff next to you, thank us!" Satori seemed to spring back into life as he boasted, but he was hit by a glare coming from behind (Name). (Name) let out a soft giggle that quickly turned into a coughing fit. Wakatoshi gripped her as her fit calmed down.

"Ah, let's try cough medicine first." Eita quickly fetches the medicine and begins to measure it out.

"By the way (Name), are you staying in the dorms over the summer? If you are, I'm willing to." Leon offered. Wakatoshi placed his head on (Name)'s shoulder. Her face burned behind her medical mask

"I would be as well. I don't want you to be here alone." Her face was most definitely red at this point. Eita noticed and quickly gave her the cough medicine, not realizing what the actual problem was.

"This should help!" Eita hands her the small cup of viscous red syrup. The pungent smell of cherries radiated from it. Wakatoshi almost lets go of (Name) while she held the serum. (Name) quickly moved her mask, and tilted her head back quickly to get the syrup to go down quickly. She still ended up tasting some of the sickening mixture and shivered. She sighed and quickly drank the now cold tea in hopes of ridding herself of the overly cherry taste in her mouth. The tea was slightly overseeped, but it was better than the syrup.

"...Yes." She quickly responded to their questions in an attempt to prevent another coughing fit.

"I'll stay too then. While I trust Leon and Wakatoshi, I'm just worried about you (Name)," Eita admits. Satori extends his long fingers in a double peace sign.

"I'm staying too!" Hayato grimaces.

"Man, just what you need (Name), Satori. I guess I'm staying too." Satori shoots Hayato a glare, Hayato responds with a cheeky smile. (Name) gives them a wide smile. Her mask covers her mouth, but her eyes radiate warmth as her cheeks move upwards. What did she do to deserve these boys?

"Ah! Right! Ice cream!" Satori suddenly bolts out of the room

"Hey! Remember we got that for (Name)!" Eita shouts after him. Leon sighs

"I'll get you some (Name), do you want any Wakatoshi?"

"No, I'm fine for now." He continued to hold (Name). (Name) Sighed as she decided to lean back into Wakatoshi, causing him to blush slightly.

'I can't believe these are the boys who were crying earlier over losing a ticket to nationals... I can't believe they're pushing aside any feelings for that just so they can do this...' (Name) almost cried, but Wakatoshi held her tighter to comfort her and to keep from any tears from falling.

* * *

Ex: Each of the boys had their own respective corner in (Name)'s dorm where they had crashed. Wakatoshi was with (Name), Eita had fallen asleep on a chair, while Leon was in the chair across from Eita. Hayato had gotten a pillow from (Name) and was on the floor near Leon, while Satori had fallen asleep at (Name)'s desk. Each had been so worked up and worried about (Name) that their fatigue had melted temporarily. Once 12 am hit, an RA came into the room, She looked over the mess of students, and couldn't help but leave them. She had a softer heart than the RA upstairs, and she knew how tight-knit this group was. She observed cough medicine and ice cream bowls laying out, so she could only assume they had been caring for one of their own. She placed her hands on her cheeks in an 'aww' fashion and slowly tiptoed her way out of the dorm. She shut the door gently behind them to let the volleyball idiots rest.


	23. The Start of the Second Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are now some new Shorthands. (K/Name) or Kohai Name is the name of the reader's Kohai and protagonist of Keeping Promises. If you cannot come up with a name, the "Canon" name is Usagi Momo (Surname Name)

The summer went by quickly, and (Name) was now blessed with more familiar faces being accepted into the first string and some unfamiliar faces. She already knew Kawanishi Taichi, and some other second years were being pulled up from second string, however, there was one she didn't recognize at all.

Shirabu Kenjiro.

She looked over his records and looked at his past achievements. He didn't get in via scholarship, but he took the entrance exam. During tryouts, he quickly adapted to what the coach was looking for. He morphed himself into what was wanted. (Name) was awestruck at this kid. The only problem was he was shooting for Eita's spot. Naturally, she had a bias.

"He's extremely smart, smart enough to get in through the entrance exams," (Name) chatted with Wakatoshi. He listened intently to anything she had to say. "Although if you saw him set, you wouldn't think he's a volleyball genius. Think of him more as a way to get from point A to point B. He has the ability to do other things, but he's lessening himself to bring out others..." (Name) pouted "He's a hard read. He doesn't want to be read." (Name) then clicked her pen and began writing on his file.

"Would he be good for the team?" Eita approaches (Name). She looks up at him with a curious look in her eye. She sighs

"Eita..." He smiles at her and rubs her back slightly. "The coach seems to think so. I wouldn't be surprised if he begins switching you two often." (Name) looks down with a frustrated gaze.

"(Name)." A deep voice calls to her. With the coming of the second year, Wakatoshi's voice has gotten deeper, and every time she's heard it recently, it's made her shudder slightly. "He'll need some slight guidance. You know what you need to do." (Name) took a deep breath and lifted her head again.

"Eita, begin working on your serves more, okay?" He nods. He could tell it was tough for her too, but she had to go and try and form a bond with the new setter who was trying to take Eita's spot. Wakatoshi decided to watch from a distance as (Name) approached the first year.

"Excuse me," She began, the boy whipped around to face her. His glare showed no signs of lifting. His head was slightly lowered, and he peered past his copper-colored bangs. He seemed wary of her. "Are you Shirabu Kenjiro?" She began. He nodded slightly at her. He was going to make this harder than she thought.

"He already pisses me off..." Eita admits as he watches the boy disrespect (Name). (Name) seemed to be unaffected by his nature, and continues anyway.

"I'm (L/Name) (Name). I'm the manager of the team. If you need anything, let me know. Most of the boys call me by my given name, you may as well." She tried her first trust establishing trick.

"(L/name)-senpai, I'm fine for right now." He then jogs away from her and practices elsewhere. (Name) furrowed her brow slightly. He'd be tougher than she thought.

"Jeez, what an ass, talking to (L/Name)-senpai like that," a lazier voice called out. (Name) turned her head and smiled at the tall redhead before her.

"Taichi-kun! How are you!" Her cheeriness was refreshing to Taichi. The coach and most of the players were very serious, so having a friendly encouraging face like hers on the team was nice.

"I've been good. Got onto the first string, didn't I?" She smiles. She was clearly very proud.

"I'm glad! I look forward to working with you Taichi-kun!"

"Before you go, could you tape up my fingers again?" Taichi asks sheepishly, but (Name) was more than happy to do that. She helped with Satori's fingers all the time, so it was nothing new.

Shirabu judges Taichi from afar. Why did he need the manager to wrap his fingers? Why did he need to talk to the manager like that? She was just the manager.

"There you go Taichi-kun, all done." (Name) keeps the tape out in between her fingers just in case any other players wanted their fingers taped.

Taichi tested out his fingers as he extended and retracted his fingers. Seeming satisfied, he thanks (Name) and continues the practice.

"So you know him?" A curious familiar voice asks. (Name) turns to see Satori.

"Yeah, He's one of the kids I took care of in middle school. Strange, he usually had two others with him at all times, but I guess it's because he's at volleyball right now." (Name) speculates as she begins writing again.

"Hm, I see..." Satori placed his hand on his chin. "Ah! Can I get my fingers wrapped? You do it the best." (Name) smiles and nods. Taichi was observing carefully. So was Shirabu. (Name) could feel all the eyes on her, and it made her a little aggravated. It's the first day and she's already getting stared at.

"There you go Satori, all done!" she drops his hands and he begins testing them out. He seemed satisfied as he headed towards a net where he quickly blocked one of Leon's spikes.

"Victory!" he shouts at Leon gave him a half-hearted smile.

"You didn't win anything. All you did was block." Wakatoshi points out, killing Satori's mood. Leon laughed. (Name) sighs as she looks over to check on Hayato.

Later on, the team was permitted to leave, but the second years stayed. Taichi wasted no time in going back to his dorm and taking a nap, however. Shirabu also stayed behind. He began to watch the spiking practice Wakatoshi had with Eita. Naturally (Name) stayed behind as well.

"Satori can you try and block him?" She requested as she began to note some things.

"EH?!" He flinched. Wakatoshi's spikes have gotten rougher recently, and they were full of power. Shirabu clicked his tongue silently from the sidelines. What was she thinking?

"If he spikes without any sort of pressure on him, then what's the point of spiking on a net with a setter? He could just spike against a wall and be done with it." She begins "It's also pressure for Eita." she clicks her pen and looks up at Satori "You're the best blocker I've got Satori, can you handle this for me?" She looks back over at Hayato "Hayato you're on recovery for one touches."

"Aww, that's such a sweet compliment (Name)! Of course, your best blocker will block!" He scratched the back of his head and (Name) smiled. Satori lines up at the net against Wakatoshi. He then whispers "Don't worry, still yours." unlike the first time he said it, Wakatoshi nodded. Leon tossed a ball for Eita to set, which he did so expertly. Satori watched his form and went for a guess block. His guess was right, and Wakatoshi smashed it into the block. He hesitated only slightly, and the ball was sent back. Satori had a wide smile on his face as he looked over at (Name) "Hey hey! How was that?!"

"It won't happen again (Name)," Wakatoshi informs her with his usual blank face. It showed no expression, but it made her heart race. He had easily gotten taller and more handsome since when she first met him.

"That was partially me too, Wakatoshi. I'll adjust." Eita cuts in and gives his roommate a competitive glare. Satori smiles right back.

'Why are they apologizing to her? They don't owe her anything...' Shirabu was becoming frustrated at why this manager was such an integral part of the team. The coaches trusted her immensely, to the point where they ask for her opinion. Why? Ushijima apologizes to her when he doesn't get something right? Why are they so flattered when she compliments them?'

"Okay, let's try that again then." (Name) looks over at Leon, but notices Shirabu leaving. She doesn't say anything, but she makes note of it. He didn't seem pleased.

The toss goes up, Eita once again sets like the pro he is. Wakatoshi goes up for the spike at the same time Satori goes for the block, but Wakatoshi smashed it through his block this time. Hayato couldn't get to it in time. (Name) smiled as she began writing. Satori began to shake out his hands

"Yeesh! My fingers are gonna break off if I continue going after those!" He whines. Eita smiles at his roommate

"I doubt (Name) would let your fingers snap off." (Name) gave a joking smile before looking his hands over. They were red from attempting to go after such a powerful spike.

"Eh, if they snap off, we'll glue them back on." (Name) joked, but she then felt eyes on her coming from the door, at first she thought it was Shirabu again, trying to observe without her noticing, but then she spots a sweet little face with big, shy, wondrous eyes. "Eh? (K/Name)-chan?" Satori immediately perks up and whips his body to face the door where the little first year stood. (K/Name) flinched as the middle blocker's intense gaze locks with hers. Hayato and Leon also turn to look over at the small girl. Hayato and Eita recognized her.

"So your name is (K/Name)-chan!? Cute!" Satori gushed as he rushed over to her. (Name) gave him a suspicious glare, which Leon, Hayato, and Eita all picked up on. The girl blushed as Satori got close, and Momma Eagle instincts were kicking in. Wakatoshi had also picked up on it at this point as well. She was about to throttle Satori into the net, but he was stopped by a piece of paper in her precious junior's hands. "... is that a club application?" He asks. She gave a soft nod before walking towards (Name). (Name) watched her junior curiously as (K/Name) began to fidget slightly, but eventually looked her in the eye. Her eyes were full of determination and resolve. This wasn't the same little (K/Name) she knew.

"(Name)-senpai, I wish to join and be the assistant manager, and help you in any way I can." Her hands slightly tremble as she gives (Name) the application. (Name) takes it and looks it over, but all she can think of is this girl's pseudo brothers. (K/Name) never managed a team before because she didn't want to have to pick between her brothers, so why now? Satori seemed to be having some sort of excitement attack behind (K/Name)'s back, but (Name) had to ignore that for now. She looked back at her junior

"Does Taichi-kun know about this? What about Itsuki-kun?" the question was innocent, but big tears began to fall from the young girl's face. "EH? (K/Name)-chan! Is everything okay? (K/Name)-chan!" (Name) jumped as (K/Name) began wiping tears from her face. (Name) began digging in her pockets for tissues. The rest of her team was awkward.

"I-Itsuki moved to T-T-Tokyo!" (K/Name) blubbered out as the rest of her team began to panic slightly. (Name) sighed as she finally had the answer to why (K/Name) wanted to join so suddenly. She was about to comfort her, but Satori of all people beat her to it.

"Hey, it's okay (K/Name)-chan! I'll look after you!" Before placing a quick peck on her forehead and embracing her, causing (Name) to get aggravated. The rest of his team pinched the bridges of their noses or covered their eyes. Was he an idiot doing that RIGHT in front of momma eagle?

"Eh? You know her, Satori?" (Name) squawked at him. Satori quickly realized what he just did and froze. (Name) still doesn't know about the time he went searching for information in the middle school, this was also one of her babies. He was screwed. (K/Name) blinked and blushed slightly before pushing him away.

"He came to the middle school one day to ask about some volleyball things." She covered. Satori widened his eyes at her. She might have just saved him from an A-class ass beating. (Name) narrowed her eyes at Satori. He could feel her immense pressure. He began to wonder if this was what it was like to play across the net from her.

"Alright? I guess." (K/Name) seemed comfortable, for now. She wondered what the little girl did to have Satori so infatuated. Did she accidentally talk about Shonen jump in front of him? She knew (K/Name) loved that kind of stuff and it wouldn't be unlikely for her to be gushing about it to Taichi and Itsuki in the hall. She watched as Satori attempted to get close again, but (Name) stuck her hand in between "You do realize that (K/Name) is one of the kids I took care of, right? Satori?" The Eita and Hayato began snickering.

"You had that coming Satori." Leon chimes in. Wakatoshi nodded. (K/Name)'s eyes widened.

"So you're okay with me not continuing volleyball (Name)-senpai?" (Name) sighed as she looked over the paper once more. The poor girl was probably shaken up about losing one of her precious brothers.

"It saddens me slightly, but I understand it. You probably feel lonely without one of your brothers, huh?" (Name) asked with a sweet face, but a fire burns in (K/Name)'s eyes.

"I-I also want to help you as much as I can!" She removed herself from Satori's grip "Y-You helped me a lot, now I want to return the favor! Please!" She suddenly bowed at the waist to (Name), causing her to jump slightly. "Let me help you!" (Name) was surprised. Back in middle school (K/Name) was a coward. She would never do this, but something changed. She's changing. She's growing. She took another look at the application before Wakatoshi chimed in

"If you accept her application, you don't have to go to the water fountains alone again, (Name)." (Name) flinched, and gave a slight glare to Wakatoshi. He remained unmoved by her gaze.

"If I accept, we have a super-genius manager then. By the way Satori, she is way out of your league." (Name) clicked her pen and made checkmarks on (K/Name)'s application to show her approval. Satori flinched.

"What do you mean?" Satori raised an eyebrow at his manager, and (K/Name) blushed at her praise. The first year began pressing her fingers together.

"For starters, she was given a scholarship to Shiratorizawa, not for any sports, but an elusive academic scholarship. In junior high, she was moved up a grade. She ranks top 1% in this school when it comes to academics." (Name) rattles off as she continues to write on the application.

"Cute and smart? What more could a boy ask for!" Satori tested his luck against (Name) and nestled his face against (K/Name)'s cheek. His luck had run out. Momma bird was pissed.

"PERMISSION!" (Name) easily grappled the lanky boy and hurled him into the volleyball net. Wakatoshi blinked as he looked at the middle blocker but then went over to (Name) to make sure she didn't strain herself. Her junior stood in shock as she processed her senior's impressive power.


	24. Fledgling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wary of her presence, and unfamiliar environment only fuels his complacency

That night, the second years were all chattering away, discussing the events of that day

"Well you all have a new manager now, so what do you think?" (Name) asks her second-years as they ate. Satori was about to open his mouth when (Name) interrupted "I know what you think. You want to date her."

"She seems very sweet, she'll fit right in with you." Eita comments. Leon nods as He looks over to see Shirabu slightly flustered.

"Speaking of sweet, (Name), One of the first years might need you." Leon points. The entire team looks and sees Shirabu looking like a fish out of water. He wasn't used to an environment like this one, and he didn't have anyone he could just sit down with and start eating. He debated just leaving. (Name) immediately got up with her lunch, her team was about to follow

"No, Stay here. He'll only get more flustered." She demanded and walked over to the lost boy. She wasn't fully able to read him, but she was piecing it together slowly. She was 75% there with Wakatoshi, so Shirabu should be no problem. "Shirabu-kun," She says gently, but he still flinches as he whips around towards her with a glare. She's unfazed.

"(L/Name)-senpai." He greets her dryly. She gives him a sweet smile before pointing at an open table

"We can sit over there if you want. Most people have regular spots, but that spot belonged to a third-year who graduated." She led him over to the small table and sat down with him. Shirabu refused to stop glaring in hopes that (Name) would be scared away, but she seemed unmoved. "So is Shiratorizawa far from home?" She asks in a sweet tone, he almost wanted to tell her. "That's okay if you don't want to talk. You're here for a reason." her voice was like silk. Comforting, like a mother's would be. "I'm originally from Tokyo actually." He finally drops his glare as his eyes widen at her. "Yeah, family life isn't exactly the most organized." She places a piece of food in her mouth. Why was she telling him this? Why was she in Miyagi at Shiratorizawa if she was from Tokyo? He quickly took a bite of his food as he continued to analyze her in hopes of figuring her out.

From afar, Wakatoshi was watching the situation carefully. He didn't like that he had to leave (Name) alone with someone, but he understood her reasoning. Shirabu didn't seem like the type that would be accepting of a lot of people sticking their nose in his problems, let alone acknowledging that he had any. Satori hummed

"Making sure he doesn't steal your girl?" a wide grin spread across the middle blocker's face. Eita gave him a glare

"Don't tease him."

"But that's what he's doing!" Satori gestured his arms towards Wakatoshi to emphasize his point.

"I want to make sure he doesn't act aggressively towards (Name)." Hayato turned his head and hummed

"He wasn't exactly the friendliest to her during practice, huh?" (Name) then shot them all a glare, telling them to face forward or face the consequences. Satori, Eita, Hayato, and Leon follow her silent orders quickly, but Wakatoshi gives her a worried glance before sighing and facing forward. She refocuses on Shirabu's plate. He didn't do too badly, but he could still improve. The coach would probably ask her soon to check the new recruits' diets, so she might as well start now.

"Do you get cramps often Shirabu-kun?" He flinches and glares at her. Was she a mind reader? She took his gaze as a yes. "Sorry, did I dig a little deep? I just know a lot about food and the science of it. My mom's a dietician, so I grew up with all sorts of food science books lying around the house." She knew the wheels in his head were turning. He didn't seem like the type to just listen and do nothing with the information.

"... Why do you care?" He finally spoke. His tone was harsh. (Name) gave him a sweet smile.

"I want the best for you all." She decides to back off for now. If she pushed any further today, he might blow up on her.

"You do the same for the upperclassmen?" He was gathering more information now.

"Only the second-years. The coach wanted me to start within my year and then work my way down." (Name) takes a bite of food "Besides, the third years have too much pride to listen to me, as much as the coach hates it."

'So she doesn't have complete control. She's just a rich girl from Tokyo who happens to know a little about food' Shirabu theorizes.

"Do you need more water Shirabu-kun? I can go grab you some." (Name) offers, catching Shirabu off guard again.

"I can get it." He lifts himself quickly and walks away. The second years take the opportunity to look over at (Name), who gives them a slight head shake. Satori quickly lifts his phone to (Name) to indicate he's gonna start talking in the group chat

 **8:28 pm** **Guess who:** So how's it going over there?

 **Momma Bird (Name):** Did you change my name in here?

 **Not Benkei Leon:** He changed everyone's name.

 **Momma Bird (Name):** Whatever

He's just as standoffish as I thought he would be

Doesn't want to talk to me or anything

Seemed freaked out when I brought up his diet

 **Miracle boy Wakatoshi:** Has he been treating you aggressively?

 **Momma Bird (Name):** In the way a scared animal would. He hasn't done anything

 **Other momma bird Eita:** Sounds like you have your hands full... again

 **Liberate me Hayato:** Well if you need help, we're right over here

 **Momma Bird (Name):** You guys staring him down is exactly the opposite of what I need. This is new for him, he's never been in a school like Shiratorizawa. Just let me handle it, okay?

 **Guess who:** Okay mom

 **Other momma bird Eita:** So uh, you might have to go save the fledgling. He seems lost again.

(Name) lifted her head to look and see where Shirabu was and she sighed. The poor thing tried to look brave and look like he knew what he was doing, but he didn't seem to know where to go again. Now she had to debate whether she should swoop in like she wanted to or let Shirabu regain face and find the refill fountain himself. She thought out all the possibilities, and she realized that Shirabu would get over her helping him eventually, but he would know where the refill fountains were, but if he got it wrong he would feel humiliated.

"Ah! Momma bird's taking flight." Satori pointed out as (Name) got up to assist Shirabu, but she knew she couldn't do it directly. This was delicate. With her empty drink in her hand facing Shirabu, she walked at a slower pace than she normally would towards the refill fountains. Lucky for her, Shirabu spotted her.

"Fledgling took the bait. He's following her." Hayato says as he continues to watch the situation with the other second years. Wakatoshi furrows his brows.

"... Is Shirabu supposed to be the fledgling?" Leon sighed at his roommate and patted his back while Satori let out a loud laugh.

Shirabu quickly catches up with (Name), but doesn't look at her. She doesn't ask him anything, and she doesn't try to start a conversation. She lets him silently refill his drink before turning and walking away from the fountains slightly.

"OH! He stopped walking! He's waiting for momma!" Satori says excitedly before Eita quickly shoves his head down to try and quiet the excited redhead. Leon sighed, without (Name), Satori was hard to handle.

After filling her drink, (Name) turned and began to walk back, this time with Shirabu walking with her.

"...thank you." He quietly tells her. She gives him a slight smile. She'd figure him out eventually.

"If you need anything, just let me know." She reminds him. He clicks his tongue slightly as they sit down.

"Like wrapping the fingers of people who are clearly capable?" He took a sip of his freshly filled water.

"You mean Taichi-kun?" (Name) propped up her head on her hand. "And Satori," (Name) thought about any other player's fingers she wraps. She couldn't think of any unless it was an injury.

"Those are the given names of Kawanishi and Tendou-senpai, correct?" (Name) nods. He was talking to her more. This was progress.

"Yes, I've known Taichi-kun since middle school, and Satori is in my friend group, as you can see-" (Name) glances over, and Shirabu's eyes follow. He sees Eita pushing down Satori's head against the table while Leon and Hayato attempt to calm the situation down. Wakatoshi blankly stares at the situation as he ate. Shirabu furrowed his brow then looks back to (Name), who was clearly annoyed. "... You know let's just not look at that."

"Are all the second years close?" he gradually begins to relax around her.

"The ones who were on first string their first year are." She answered with a sweet smile "Lots of stuff happened, so it's hard not to get close." She takes a glance at her friends again. They seemed to have calmed down. "If you want I can tell you about some of the things that happened, it's some pretty interesting stuff." Shirabu looked up suddenly at (Name). Was she kidding? Or was she actually willing to tell him about the second-years? "Anyways, if you're done, you should head back and wash up. Get as much rest as you can." Shirabu furrowed his brow before looking down at his plate, he didn't even notice it was empty. It made sense because he felt full, but he didn't understand how he could have just let himself get so distracted. "I'll see you around, okay? If you need anything, feel free to call me, okay?" She slides him a scrap of paper with neatly written numbers on it. "My dorm number is also on there if you need me," with one last smile, she gets up and heads back to her bickering friends. She quickly walloped Eita and Satori as Wakatoshi gave her a wave welcoming her back.

Shirabu didn't know what to make of her. He was uneasy, and he just didn't know enough yet. He followed her advice and decided to go back to the dorms for the night.


	25. progress

The next day, (Name) was waiting for Wakatoshi, Leon, Satori, Eita, and Hayato in the mess hall for lunch. Wakatoshi was quick to join her as he sat down next to her with his food.

"Any more progress with the... " Wakatoshi attempts to remember the codename Shirabu was given yesterday.

"Fledgling, and no. He keeps his distance, but at the same time, he observes every move I make. Not surprising though." (Name) replies "He seems confused. Give him time." (Name) replies calmly, but her heart was racing at how close Wakatoshi was. She wanted to lean over and rest her head on his broad shoulders. She craved that touch she got the days she was sick, even if it was just holding his hand, she wanted it. The craving worsened whenever they were alone or isolated with one another like this. She could just easily slide her hand into his as it rested under the table, or curl her fingers around his knee. Affection is easy, the consequences were tough.

"I see." He replies as he spots Hayato and Leon. (Name) notices them as well as they take their usual spots at the table.

"There we go." Leon grunts as he takes a seat. Hayato and (Name) both sweat and let out a small giggle at Leon's small habit. He gives them a slight deadpan look before looking around. "So where are Eita and Satori?" Hayato points back to the food line

"I saw Eita back there, but I haven't seen Satori."

"Weird. He's usually here before us." (Name) hums, but brushes it off as coincidence. Eita quickly takes his seat at the table before looking around for his noisy roommate.

"Do you want to text him?" Hayato suggested, "Maybe he got trapped somewhere." Eita sighed as he took out his phone. (Name) looked over his shoulder slightly. Eita didn't mind much. He was only texting Satori.

 **12:09** **Other Momma bird:** hey, dude, where are u?

 **Guess who:** On a hot date with (K/Name)~

She's so cute! Might get a kiss today~!

 **Other momma bird:** uh... dude...

 **Guess who:** wat

 **Other momma bird:** Hi Satori, this is (Name) on Eita's phone. Tell me

You're on a hot date with WHO?

And getting a kiss from W H O?

 **Guess Who:** TOT AOTOAL JOKE

JOEK

I SWEAR TAICHIS HERE TOO

IM NOT- IT'S A JOKE! JJOOOOOOOKE

RRE SPECTING HER APSAHA

*SPACE

 **Other momma bird:** Mmhmm. That's what I thought. I'm texting Taichi in a little bit. I better get a good response from him, otherwise, I'm tracking you down. Be good~

And remember, I know where you sleep.

(Name) then handed the phone back to Eita, who quickly hit the power button on the side and slides it into his pocket. Eita then pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered "Idiot" under his breath. Hayato let out a small laugh

"(Name), you sure are scary sometimes." (Name) sighed and looked up at the libero as she started eating,

"I'm only scary when you guys do something dumb." She took a quick look around at her team's plates "So unless you do something incredibly stupid, you should be fine." Leon then looked up at his teammates with a grimace. He knew he was fine, but were they?

"Anyways, (Name), do you know who we have a practice match with next?" Hayato asks as he fidgets slightly with the straw in his drink.

"Coach Saitou set one up with Fukurodani, a school from Tokyo. I haven't done a whole lot of research yet, but supposedly their ace is an up and comer. Same category as Wakatoshi." she looks over at Wakatoshi "Apparently the coaches don't think any of the other teams in Miyagi are enough of a challenge for you. Expect more teams from outside of Miyagi and college teams."

"College teams!?" Eita gawked.

"I know, it came as a shock to me too, but you guys are only getting stronger. It'll be good practice." She then takes out her bag and removes a folder from it. "I've looked at all the colleges that have said they're willing to practice with us. There are a lot of universities around, so I'm sure the more will accept when you guys tear through inter-high again."

"Thank you (Name)," Leon accepts the folder from her.

"By the way, can I ask you all something?" (Name) grabbed her team's attention as Leon looked over the folder with Eita.

"Yeah, sure, what is it (Name)?" Hayato asks as he leans over Leon's shoulder to catch a peek at the folder.

"Did you ask Satori last year to gather information on me when I first joined on as manager?"

Hayato, Leon, and Eita froze.

Each of them slowly turned their head to their (H/C) manager. Her fingers were laced together as she rested her head on them. She fluttered her eyes at them as she had a sly smile on her face. Leon tried to swallow his fear as he stared at his manager

"W-what makes you think that?" Eita shook as heavily as the day he first met (Name),

"I'm not actually asking you all, I have several informants. I just want you all to admit it. Wakatoshi already has." The aforementioned ace stared at his three guilty teammates as he continues to chew his food and sit next to (Name).

'Snitch'

(Name) takes out her phone and begins texting

"Take your time, I'm not mad. Wakatoshi told me your reasoning." Their nerves began to soothe. "I'm just slightly disappointed is all." Guilt hit them like a train.

"(Name)..." Eita begins

"You don't have to explain anything, Wakatoshi told me." the three glared at him.

"I don't like keeping secrets from (Name)." He replies flatly. As they let out a slight groan, (Name) looks at her phone.

 **12:14** **From (Name):** Hey Taichi-kun! Is Satori with you? Is he being good?

 **From Taichi:** Yeah, he's with me and (K/Name), everything's going great

 **From Taichi:** (K/Name)'s too clever for him, she's got everything under control.

(Name) smiles at her phone before hitting the power button on the side and sliding it into her bag. She knew little (K/Name) was out of his league.


	26. The New Team

(Name) happily trotted to the water fountains as she hummed to herself slightly. She was confident today. She hadn't had a run in at the water fountains in a while, and she was at Shiratorizawa, so what were the chances of having one today? Wakatoshi was being protective as always, but she brushed it off saying it more than likely wasn't going to happen today. Poor little (K/name) had no idea what was going on, but (Name) told her to stay put, despite Wakatoshi's protests that she takes (K/Name).

Her happiness came to a screeching halt when she was only halfway through the water bottles

"Hey Hey Hey! Is that (Name)-chan!? You've grown from the last time I saw you at nationals!" (Name) flinches at that painfully familiar speaking tick. She tilts her head back and grimaces. Why her? Why must she be TORMENTED by this water fountain curse? "Have you gotten curvier? Has your boyfriend volleyball been treating you well?"

"I'm about to smack you." (Name) says in a dark tone. She emitted an intense amount of pressure. Bokuto felt it and jumped back. He couldn't help but tease her, however. She was fun to annoy. His luck, however, was about to run out.

(Name) stormed into the gym, and the second-years noticed very quickly. After her came a very excited Fukurodani ace came bounding in after her, asking her all sorts of annoying questions and probing for answers like an aggravating little brother would. A very tired Fukurodani first-year gave a heavy sigh as he saw what his ace was doing. A second-year Fukurodani manager pouted slightly. They had heard about this manager from their ace. They had heard about how he and Kuroo from Nekoma had got a real kick out of pestering her, and about how she was funny.

(K/Name) squeaked at how scary (Name) looked, and immediately went to Taichi for protection. He attempted to shield her from (Name)'s darkening aura, but that was difficult. Satori and Eita both sweats as Leon noticed her approaching Wakatoshi. Shirabu was having very mixed signals. How could someone so motherly and sweet also be that aggressive? Where did this massive amount of strength come from?! Isn't she supposed to be a prissy rich girl from Tokyo? For another player, Soekawa Jin, a second-year moved up from the second string, this was his first time experiencing any sort of wrath emanating from (Name). He only knew her as a sweet, kind, motherly manager.

As (Name) approached Wakatoshi with a scowl and a glare, he stood his ground. He hadn't done anything 'incredibly stupid' as (Name) would put it, so he should be fine. She finally reached Wakatoshi, and lightly headbutted his chest, letting it rest there as she attempted to calm herself. She didn't embrace him or touch him with anything besides her forehead, and she just stood there without saying a word. Most of the Shiratorizawa team choked. Some third years were quick to bug some friends about their bet.

(K/Name) carefully watched, however, and began to understand the dynamic of the team a little better.

Wakatoshi stood there wide-eyed, but didn't dare embrace her or touch her. He looked up at Leon for guidance, but he could only give a panicked shrug to his ace. Shirabu watched in slight horror, was (Name) a distraction? Was she his girlfriend? Why were they that close? Was she just trying to get close to Ushijima?

The moment was short-lived, however, when Bokuto opened his mouth.

"So is Volleyball your boyfriend or not? Or are you cheating on Volleyball?" (Name) shot a deadly glare behind her as she threw down the water bottle bag and began sprinting full speed at Bokuto

"That's it!" She mutters before taking off. He immediately realizes he's in grave danger and runs for his life. He dives behind his manager and setter.

"Whoa whoa whoa! We're really sorry for how he's treated you," the manager did her best to quell (Name), and it works slightly. "Hey, my name's Shirofuku Yukie by the way,"

"We understand how you feel, we apologize greatly." The tired-looking setter adds. "Akaashi Keiji" (Name) took another deep breath. She was letting her temper get to her, and she needed it to cool.

"Hey, you're hair is really pretty you know, what's your name?" Shirofuku attempted to calm (Name) with flattery. She seemed too good at that, indicating she had to use flattery tactics often. Akaashi led Bokuto away from the eagle that was trying to rip his throat out not 3 seconds earlier.

"(L/Name) (Name). I appreciate your compliments." (Name) answers dryly. "But your ace is a dolt."

"We know. We're very sorry." She bows and continues to try and distract (Name), but her mood was not improving. Shirofuku led (Name) out of the gym, allowing pre-game preparation to continue as she attempted to further soothe (Name).

(Name) leaned up against the wall behind the bench she and Shirofuku found. Shirofuku had offered several snacks to (Name), but she rejected each one as she still seethed rage. She was having a hard time calming down.

As Wakatoshi walked out of the gym, he quickly looked around and spotted (Name) and the Fukurodani manager on a nearby bench. (Name) hadn't noticed his presence yet, but Shirofuku had seen him. He indicated her to leave with a quick hand motion to the side. She nodded and obeyed the tall ace, leaving (Name) in his care. (Name) ignored Shirofuku leaving, but was quick to notice her be replaced by a familiar, deadpan man. She whips her head towards him

"Wakatoshi, you're supposed to be getting ready in the gy-" He didn't let her finish the sentence before he takes her in his arms and held her close. She gasped slightly.

"So are you." He says calmly. "But you let your temper get the better of you." He says in a constant calm, empty tone. He didn't let any emotion seep through, and it felt like he was a filter to absorb all the negative feelings she had been having. This was exactly what she had needed for days on end. She had been craving this, but she hated how it came about. She hated that it came about from her losing her temper. (Name) closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Wakatoshi. His heart beat faster, but he kept it as well hidden as he possibly could. He reaches a hand slowly up to the back of her head and stroked her hair, further soothing her. "Does this help you?" he asks quietly.

_More than you could ever know. I want more. I need more. Please let me have this every day. Tell me you feel the same as me._

"Yes..."

After he held (Name) for another couple minutes, (Name) painfully tore herself away from Wakatoshi, desperately wishing she could just stop time right in the middle of that moment.

"We should get back. Thank you..." Her tone seemed sad and wistful.

"Anytime you need that, let me know." he did his best to cover his own longing feelings for her. She couldn't hold back and grabbed his hands and nodded. It took everything he had to keep his face from getting flushed. He settled for squeezing her hands slightly, which quelled his longing slightly.

"The same goes for you y'know?" she offered. His mouth slightly twitched into an upturn, but he settled for nodding. She felt slightly better, knowing he was comfortable with her touches, and the fact that she offered the same kind of comfort to him gave him hope. They were both happier and hopeful for their futures.

As they walked into the gym, (Name)'s golden, motherly aura was back. Her friends took notice quickly. Shirabu was even more confused, and he was becoming frustrated at (Name).

"Sorry about that, it won't happen again."

"You're fine (Name), you had your reasons," Leon answered. Hayato nodded as he side-eyed Bokuto. Eita lets out a relieved breath as he continued getting ready.

Because it was a practice game, both (Name) and (K/Name) sat on the bench, however, (Name) was sitting closer to the coach to gather her thoughts on the practice match. He was testing out Shirabu this time, and it was slightly upsetting to her, but the more she watched him, the more she understood. He did his best to sync up perfectly with Wakatoshi, letting his strength speak for itself. Eita's style was more focused on his own strength. It became clear who's strength he wanted to focus on, and it broke (Name)'s heart. Eita held his chin high in the reserve box as he tried to show his emotional strength to his beloved manager, and tried to convey to her that he was fine. Once Shirabu went back to serve though, it was clear his test trial was up, and Eita was put in for him. Shirabu was frustrated as he wanted to play more, but he understood that the coach wasn't fully ready to use him as a starter just yet. He then notices the gaze of (K/Name) as she watched him. He didn't like how her gaze felt, as if she could see right through him. He gave her a quick glare, which caused her to jump slightly and face forward.

(Name) noticed Satori being more of a show-off than usual, but she decided to watch how he acted instead of giving him a glare for him to stop. He would successfully pull off one of his guess blocks and slam the ball down, then quickly afterward look over at (K/Name) excitedly. He was pining for her approval and attention. (K/name) would always give him a peachy grin, letting him know that he had done well. (Name) hummed slightly. It seemed Satori was actually trying to gain (K/Name)'s affections now instead of forcing his affection onto her. She thought back to the cryptic text Taichi had sent her but shook it off as soon as Satori missed a guess block. She grimaced and placed a hand on her face. Both coached did the same. (K/Name) let out a nervous laugh.

Once the game was over, The coaches seemed satisfied. Fukurodani did a good job in holding their own, and it was clear Bokuto had skill. His shoulders were flexible and his sharp cross was a threat. Wakatoshi seemed to acknowledge him slightly but turned away after the small acknowledgment to be with (Name). Bokuto seemed to be debating something, but he was quickly dragged off by his manager and setter. (Name) began putting together folders when she was suddenly approached by one of the boys who was moved up from second string, Soekawa Jin.

"Um... hey, (L/Name)-san? Can I talk to you?" He seemed nervous around the girl. Wakatoshi took notice and began watching closely. None of the original first string boys knew Soekawa well, and he really hadn't talked all that much. He had his own friend group and he kept to himself. (Name) blinked several times before closing a folder she was looking over.

"Sure, what's up... Soekawa-kun? Did I get it right?" she tilted her head and he nodded with a smile. He seemed happy that she knew his name. A familiar feeling bubbled up inside Wakatoshi. Leon kept a very close eye on it.

"Yeah, you did, um... It's actually about helping you..." He rubbed the back of his head as he looked away slightly. The familiar feeling continued to fester as Satori and (K/Name) now took notice along with Eita and Hayato.

"Helping me? Do you want to be a manager?" (Name) joked as she raised an eyebrow. Soekawa quickly raises his hands and waves them to deny it

"Ah, no, actually it's to help you communicate with the team in the reserve box. After seeing today's practice game, I think I'm probably going to be mainly used as a pinch serve. The others are amazing." (Name)'s taken aback by his statement, but he seems very down to earth. "I noticed you have a very close relationship with most of the second years, but you have trouble talking to them when they're out on the court or if they're in the reserve box, so I thought since I'm gonna be in the box a lot that we could create a language," He begins moving his hands in several motions that she recognized as ones her setter used. "Similar to how setters talk to their ace." He then looks over at Hayato "I can talk directly to those in the box, while the libero can talk to those on the court." (Name) widened her eyes. Was this boy thinking about this the entire game? The coaches also seemed surprised.

"I'm impressed Soekawa-kun! Were you thinking about this the entire time?" (Name) gave the pinch server a confident smile. He nods at her.

"I want to help the team in any way I can, whether it's a pinch serve or playing telephone." He smiles and (Name) gives him a determined look.

"You're a pretty reliable guy. Alright. We'll begin making the language tomorrow, for now, help the others and then get some rest." (Name) walks away as she continues her duties as manager. Soekawa begins to turn in the other direction when he notices his ace's piercing glare. It spoke the very clear message of **'mine.'** Soekawa jumps slightly, sweats and nods furiously at Wakatoshi and waves his hands in denial, trying to make himself less of a threat to Wakatoshi and his romantic pursuit.

Once the day was over, (Name), Wakatoshi, Leon, Hayato, and Eita were hanging out in Leon and Wakatoshi's dorm, like always. Satori and Taichi were apparently explaining their blocks to (K/Name), but (Name) was suspicious.

"Don't like Satori getting that close to (K/Name), (Name)?" Eita asked as he noticed her uncharacteristically tight grip on her mug of tea. She had to bring her own so that they all could enjoy the tea that (Name) brought.

"Not really, but at the same time, I feel (K/Name) has it under control. I just have to trust her." Wakatoshi looked at (Name) and tried to read her emotions. He wasn't the best at it, but he at least tried. "She's clever, so maybe she's got Satori outsmarted."

"She's got him outsmarted." Hayato quickly adds as he takes a sip of the tea he didn't get to fully enjoy last time. "He's in class 2. You said she's in 5, right?"

"Yeah,"

"So you shouldn't worry about it too much." Hayato seemed calmer with the tea.

'Pretty bold statement from someone in class 3...' Leon thought to himself. Eita sighs.

"So Interhigh," he begins. "I think the coach is gonna start switching me and Shirabu a lot."

"Eita..." (Name) gave her friend a worried and concerned look. Leon lifted his head

"Shouldn't we talk about this with Satori around?" he questions in a gentle but firm tone. Wakatoshi and Hayato nod.

"He already squeezed it out of me."

"He knew?"

"He guessed." Eita sat up. "Don't worry about me too much. So long as I get to play in one way or another, I'll be happy. Even if it is a pinch serve." He looked up to (Name) and Wakatoshi "You both must have felt it right? The difference? He sets in a completely different way than I do." Wakatoshi nodded.

"It does feel different. His sets allow me to attack with full power." (Name) stayed silent. She had all sorts of feelings mixing inside her that created a muddy color in her mind. It wasn't pleasant. Wakatoshi was hesitant at first, but he offered his touch to her. He placed a hand on her arm, and she was quick to lift up her hand and grab it. It slightly surprised the rest of the team gathered in the room, but it slowly dawned on them how much of a support system Wakatoshi was becoming for her. Leon made a note of how well he was doing to say calm.

"I have noticed. Shirabu does his best to keep himself from standing out as a setter. Eita is very skilled, but a better matchup for him is someone who's not all power." Eita nods. "And... with the way Shiratorizawa is now, the coach seems obsessed with power." (Name) took a sip of the tea she held in her free hand. This year would be interesting.

The next day, (Name) met up with Soekawa in the library. They exuberantly chatted as they formed a language from researching sign language and mixing it with setter hand signs. They changed words slightly and worked hard to learn the words they needed to know.

"Okay, so we should make flashcards for this stuff and begin studying it every day," (Name) said with an excited smile. Soekawa laughed as he happened to look up behind (Name). His blood ran cold as he saw a very tall and large ace, shooting him a death glare as he peeked from behind a bookcase. He began to sweat as he stares nervously. (Name) notices and tilts her head. She turns, but Wakatoshi quickly ducked behind the bookcase and was out of (Name)'s sights before she could see him. "Everything alright Soekawa?"

"Y-yeah! Don't worry about it! It was nothing!" Once (Name) turned back around, however, Wakatoshi began his glaring once more. Soekawa knew he needed to continue working with (Name), but he quickly got the picture that Wakatoshi was probably going to monitor every interaction he made with her. He had to think of a way to prove that he wasn't a threat to his pursuit of (Name) or he might kill him for looking at her wrong.

As (Name) and Soekawa began to finish up and pack up their new stack of flashcards, he began to devise a plan.

Later that night, Soekawa approached him the dorm that both Wakatoshi and Leon shared. He took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. Leon answered the door and was surprised to see the second year.

"Oh, Soekawa, right?" Soekawa nodded as he furrowed his brow.

"Yup, that's me, Is Ushijima-san here?" Leon opened the door a little wider to reveal the couch in the room with Wakatoshi sitting on it. He was texting (Name) about their first opponents in inter-high. Wakatoshi glanced up at him with a leer. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you, It's about (L/Name). I want to help you." Wakatoshi dropped his glare. He blinked several times.

"Come in." Wakatoshi invited. Leon moved out of the way to let Soekawa in with his small bag. He bravely walked up to Wakatoshi and handed him the bag. Wakatoshi looked at the flat, rectangular pencil bag and was confused.

"It's every word that (L/Name) and I made for box-bench communication. If it puts your mind at ease, you should look over them. It had my number and dorm number in there too. Second, is she seemingly crabby right now?" Wakatoshi opened his mouth slightly with a confused look lining his face. "Yeah, it's not exactly the best time of the month for her. Whatever her favorite sweet is, I suggest you get it to her, or at least something." Soekawa gave a nervous smile to his ace. He then held out a bottle of pain relief medication "She's probably in pain too, so take these wi-" Before he could even finish that sentence, Wakatoshi had snatched the bottle of pills and sped walked out the door. Soekawa was stunned at the speed Wakatoshi moved. Leon looked at him confused.

"How do you know that? And why do you have those pills?" Soekawa gave him a tired smile as he recalled his home life.

"When you have 4 older sisters, you learn quickly about that kind of stuff and develop a 6th sense for it. Also, I keep those meds out of habit. In my first year, my older sister went here too, so I kept it on hand for her." Leon's eyes widen at his fellow second year. Maybe he would be a bigger help than he originally thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FInd the extra to this chapter in the filler book


	27. Mistakes

Interhigh started out strong, and the first match went by no problem. The new language didn't need to be used yet, but Soekawa was clearly excited to use it. (Name) and Soekawa would pop quiz one another at random points in between matches to keep each other on their toes. It would be at complete random as well, it didn't matter if one of them was in the middle of a conversation, the other could make a hand sign and they would have to reply with what it meant. Satori found it hilarious.

"Shirabu-kun, could you drink a tiny bit more water for me, please? Even a sip is- DOG. Even a sip is fine," Shirabu flinched when (Name) shouted dog, but when he looked behind him he saw Soekawa making a hand gesture.

Shirabu wasn't exactly pleased by (Name) being overly invested and involved like this.

'She's just a manager, (K/Name) is here too, she doesn't need to be this involved at all. I'm also taking her friend's starting position, so why does she continue to baby me? The babying is kind of annoying, to be honest, but everyone else acts like getting treated like that is a privilege... Why?' after taking a few more sips of water like (Name) wanted, he stormed away, clicking his tongue as he continued preparing for the next match. (Name) took notice, but she soon had her attention focused on Taichi, who wanted his fingers wrapped.

The beginning rounds of Interhigh were a breeze, but then there was a slight hitch nearing the end. Date Tech and their huge new players.

"The kid with the white hair is taller than Wakatoshi, he's not as powerful though. the kid with the brown hair isn't as tall, but he seems sneaky." (Name) began to read the players. "Date Tech is known for their strategy of a strong serve followed by a strong block. I have confidence in Wakatoshi's power, however, that white-haired kid is fast. If he has a good enough read block, then he could possibly get a one-touch on every single spike that goes over that net" (Name) thought out loud. The coaches nodded with her musings.

"What about the others on the team? What stats can you see from them?" (Name) tilted her head back

"Their setter is about an even match for Shirabu, but that's all physical. Their setter is nowhere near Eita physically." she leaned her head forward. "But if I were to be completely honest, Shirabu utilizes Wakatoshi in a way that is safe, in a way that makes him look like a champion ace," Washijo grumbled slightly.

"We'll start with Shirabu. When he goes back to serve we'll switch to Semi." (Name) was afraid he'd say that. It's the choice she would have made too. It's not a bad deal for Eita, but emotionally it must feel awful. The better Shirabu does this match, the longer he'll stay in.

Just like (Name) predicted, the kid with the white hair was very much trouble for any other spiker than Wakatoshi. He seemed to be the one who dictates where the other massive players jump, illustrating his incredible read block skills. Shirabu seemed to make wise decisions against the blocks though. Washijo seemed pleased. (Name) looked over to Soekawa and gripped the tips of her hair, indicating that she had a message for Eita. she then motioned to herself to indicate it was a personal matter, Soekawa nodded, indicating for her to start the message. Several gestures later and Soekawa got the entire message. The manager on the Date Tech bench questioned what all the hand motions were about as she took her eyes off her team for a second.

"Semi," Soekawa caught his attention "(L/Name)-chan wants to know how you're doing. She's worried about you apparently." Eita blinked before looking over at (Name). She did seem worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine, tell her not to worry. So long as we get to keep playing and continue our season together, I'm fine." He gives a bit of a smile before looking towards the game once more. Soekawa had no idea what Eita meant, but he relayed the entire message regardless. (Name) seemed to understand and refocus.

The game was won in 2 sets, but not without Date Tech putting up a fight. As they were leaving, Taichi and Satori were looking up in the stands for (K/Name), but she wasn't there. (Name) became worried again.

"Maybe she went to get a drink or something?" Eita suggested as they took a break.

"She wouldn't do that without telling at least one of us though, that's why we're worried." (Name) sighed as she checked her phone for messages. Taichi was frantically checking his phone as well.

"If she ran off, where would she go?" Eita looked around the venue along with Wakatoshi. This was one of (Name)'s babies. Leon was trying to keep everyone calm, but Taichi was becoming increasingly panicked. Satori seemed to have an idea of what happened but decides to keep it to himself. If he was right, then (K/Name) wasn't feeling too well right now.

(Name)'s phone then suddenly buzzed in her pocket. With swift movements, she took it out and answered the call without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" She answered as she placed a hand under her elbow. "Eh?! You?! You found her?" (Name) let out a sigh of relief along with Taichi. "Thank god, yeah if you could stay with her that would be great. So what happened? Did she get overwhelmed by the stands? What happened?" (Name) paused again as she paced slightly. She nodded "Okay, we'll be there in a bit, can you do me a favor and try to calm her nerves? You've always been the best at comforting others. We're on our way now. See you." (Name) then hung up and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "She's on a bench by the water fountains. My old setter's with her." Soekawa furrowed his brows, old setter?

The entire second-year squad and Taichi made their way to the water fountains to find a slightly soothed (K/Name) with a relaxed-looking girl. The girl waved her taped up fingers at them. Taichi was quick to approach (K/Name), and she noticed him just as instantaneously. He took her into a protective hug, not caring who saw.

"Glad to see you're still playing Kawanishi-kun. I should probably take my leave though." the lazy looking setter says as she gently taps (K/Name)'s shoulder "Mind if I stop the music? You doing okay now (K/L/Name)-chan?" (K/Name) nodded her head and silently thanked the second year setter. She slipped the phone and headphones back into her sleeve. "Hey Ace, you seem more chipper. I'm glad."

"Thank you," (Name) thanked the soothing girl. Eita took a slight interest in the girl.

"No problem dude, any time. And hey, when you're having a good day, let me toss my ace a few! I miss hearing your spikes! Maybe play a 2 on 2 with me and a couple other girls!" (Name)'s setter then swiftly and harshly slaps her back before leaving with a wave. (Name) rubbed her back as she almost cried in pain. "OH! I almost forgot!" The setter stopped in her tracks before spinning around and throwing a couple CDs at (Name). "One of those is a present from me, the other is the information on Seijoh I promised. Have fun!" she began walking again.

"Jeez... those pockets of hers are endless..." (Name) commented before looking over at Taichi and (K/Name). They seemed happier now.

"So... you used to play volleyball (L/Name)-chan?" Soekawa asked. (K/Name)'s ears perked up

"She was the best on the Shiratorizawa girl team! (Name)-senpai broke through blocks that were taller than her! Her serves were deadly too!" (K/name) grabbed Satori's sleeve as she began to jump in place, carefully not bothering him by bringing her knees up when she jumped. He gave her a huge smile "She was the ace of the team! She wasn't bad at setting either!"

"Th-that was only in emergencies (K/Name)-chan, calm down!"

"A rather large mood swing..."

"Yeah, I think my trusty setter did a good job of calming her down..." (Name) sighed. She'd have to buy her setter dinner later. "You okay now (K/Name)?"

"Yeah, sorry about leaving like that... it was really loud and crowded..." (K/Name) looked down slightly

"I bet. Shiratorizawa's cheer squad is one thing, but mixed with Date Tech's must have been way too loud!" Satori leans over into (K/Name) with a big smile on his face. Taichi walks up to the other side of her.

"So what is the present your setter got you?" Leon asks as he looks over the CDs.

"I honestly have no idea. We can watch it when we get back, though and find out."

Later, after a long day of volleyball and a bus ride that (Name) ended up falling asleep on again, they were back on campus. The second years, (K/Name) and Taichi gathered in Soekawa's dorm, seeing as he had a TV and a DVD player. Several movies were also scattered on a nearby desk.

"I have to admit, this is the most people I've had in my dorm room," Soekawa says as he pops the CD that the relaxed setter gave (Name). He then sat on the floor in front of his couch next to Leon and Hayato. (K/Name) had sunk too far into a huge bean bag chair and was struggling slightly while Taichi sat up against the bean bag chair. Satori tried to sit in the chair with (K/Name) but ended up getting stuck with her. Wakatoshi, (Name), and Eita all sat on the couch.

The video started out simple enough, shaky hand and chatter in the background, but then the camera moves up, to reveal a volleyball court.

**_'Man, (L/name)'s playing well today, hey are you her mom?'_ **

_**'OH? So you've noticed my little girl!? Isn't she precious!'**_ (Name) bit her lip and furrowed her brow as she heard her mother's voice. Did her mom get in contact with her old setter just to give her this?!

 _ **'(L/Name) get the last one!'**_ (Name) hears a familiar voice on the tape as she watches her setter's perfect form.

"(Name)-senpai, this was our Finals game!" (K/Name) points out "After the nationals, you went into retirement" (K/Name) went back to struggling slightly with Satori. "This might have been a bad idea, by the way, Satori-senpai..." Taichi shook his head. He looked to be done.

"You're right, It was my last game vs Shirogane." (Name) watched as she sent a piercing spike through the block.

 ** _'NICE! (L/Name)-senpai!'_** A scruffy girl called out, (Name) and her setter then ran over to each other and gave each other an over the head high five. Not two seconds after that they were holding their hands trying to soothe the pain.

"Ah, We had a bad habit of hurting each other by accident..." (Name) looked down, but the boys were enthralled with the home video.

"Your setter's got a nice form..." Eita comments. An irk mark appears on (Name)'s forehead. Wakatoshi quickly notices.

"Your libero's quick too, does she still go here?" Hayato asks. (Name) smacks him in the back of the head.

"Are you trying to find a date from my old home videos Hayato? I would expect that from Satori, but not you man!"

"She's cute!" Hayato gestures at Soekawa's TV. Soekawa gives a grimace. Were they always like this?

"Quit trying to pick up girls from my old team!!" Satori raises his hand with a cheeky grin

"Too late (Name)!"

"Satori-senpai, considering you're stuck, that might not have been a wise move." Taichi points out. Satori shivers and (K/Name) giggles slightly. Leon places a hand on his face and shakes his head slightly. A good chunk of this room was about to die by Momma bird talons.

When the video ends, Soekawa carefully placed the home video back in its case.

"Any idea why she gave you that?" He asked as he handed the case back to its rightful owner.

"Probably as a reminder of who I used to be. I think she knows I'm hesitant to do anything involving surgery right now." (Name) admits. "I want to stay with the team," Soekawa looks over at Leon for answers. He waves his hand to indicate he'll be told later.

"What about after high school?" Wakatoshi questions firmly. He seemed to lean in closer to (Name), and the entire room began to silently freak out. Everyone in that room knew of Wakatoshi's crush except for (Name).

"What about college?" She replied back. "I need to think about my future,"

"College can wait, your knee hurting affects your future too." Wakatoshi was blunt.

"Are we about to have another worry war?" Leon whispers to Hayato. Soekawa looked at him confused. "They'll get like this where they start bickering about each other's well being. All we're missing now is for (Name) to start worrying about Wakatoshi."

"Wakatoshi," (Name) said in a stern tone, "I don't want to live with my parents you know, I want to leave as soon as I can,"

"Then live with me," Wakatoshi said with a deathly serious tone. The entire room felt their spirits leave their bodies.

'THAT IDIOT!'

"H-Huh?!" (Name) blushed at his sudden proposal. "Y-You can't be serious, Wakatoshi that..." She then looked over Wakatoshi's face. He was very much not kidding. "Oh my god, you're serious..." Her face became even brighter. Wakatoshi noticed and checked her forehead for a fever. Did she strain herself again? "I um... I need to go, I'll think about it, okay Wakatoshi?" Her heart was racing. "Talk to you guys later!" she then rushed out the door, forgetting the DVDs that she was just given that day. (K/Name) realizes the danger her blunt upperclassman has put himself in and quickly struggles out of the bean bag chair by grabbing onto Taichi and lifting herself up. (K/Name) then scoops up the DVDs and rushes out the door after (Name).

As soon as the door closes, Leon gives his roommate a very tired look.

"You might have just screwed up..."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Satori let out a muffled scream from the bean bag chair. Soekawa gave out a nervous laugh

"Maybe it's not that bad! Maybe it's some sort of misunderstanding... did you really ask her to move in with you after high school?"

"Yes," Wakatoshi replies bluntly. Soekawa's positive face froze on his face as he laced his fingers in front of his mouth and curled up into a tight ball and lays on the ground. Taichi grabbed his face and pulls.

"Our Dense idiot ace..."

"Super volleyball idiot" Leon adds.

"Okay, well we have (K/Name)-chan going to talk to her, maybe she'll come back with good news?" Hayato was hopeful.

"I was offering her an option so that she would go through with the surgery, she'll be happier that way. She misses volleyball." Wakatoshi answered honestly again. Honest was all this boy did. A loud groan emanated from the room. Eita then stood up and placed his hands on Wakatoshi's shoulders.

"Alright, but you just asked her to do something VERY intimate. Like, people move in with each other when they become roommates or they've been lovers for a while,"

"Then I'll ask (Name) to be my roommate"

"THAT MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE!" Eita falls back on the couch "I need tea"

"How would it make it worse?" Wakatoshi questions

"She might take it the wrong way, what if she does like you, Wakatoshi, and you ask her to be a roommate? That's like, friend-zoning."

"It's what?" Wakatoshi looked confused. Taichi stood up as Satori wildly waved his arms around for someone to lift him from his cushion imprisonment. Begrudgingly, he helped the wild boy.

"Think of it this way," Taichi begins as he pulls Satori out "I spend a lot of time with (K/Name), we hold hands, we hug, and if she needs it, I'll cuddle her." Taichi makes a gesture towards Wakatoshi with his hands "But I would never date (K/Name). She's too close, she's like my sister." Taichi let his arms fall to his side "You might not realize it, but you have those categories. (L/Name)-senpai might think she's in the 'non-romantic' category if you do that."

"But she's not." Wakatoshi retorted honestly

"We Know! But she doesn't! For all she knows, your only emotion is volleyball!" Eita chimes in again. "Soekawa do you have tea? I feel like we always have tea when something like this happens..." Soekawa stays still on the floor at his future ace's stupidity. Taichi sighs as he shifts his jaw and thinks. (K/Name) would probably be able to come up with something, right?


	28. mistakes

"Shirabu-kun, could you drink a tiny bit more water for me, please? Even a sip is- DOG. Even a sip is fine," Shirabu flinched when (Name) shouted dog, but when he looked behind him he saw Soekawa making a hand gesture.

Shirabu wasn't exactly pleased by (Name) being overly invested and involved like this.

'She's just a manager, (K/Name) is here too, she doesn't need to be this involved at all. I'm also taking her friend's starting position, so why does she continue to baby me? The babying is kind of annoying, to be honest, but everyone else acts like getting treated like that is a privilege... Why?' after taking a few more sips of water like (Name) wanted, he stormed away, clicking his tongue as he continued preparing for the next match. (Name) took notice, but she soon had her attention focused on Taichi, who wanted his fingers wrapped.

The beginning rounds of Interhigh were a breeze, but then there was a slight hitch nearing the end. Date Tech and their huge new players.

"The kid with the white hair is taller than Wakatoshi, he's not as powerful though. the kid with the brown hair isn't as tall, but he seems sneaky." (Name) began to read the players. "Date Tech is known for their strategy of a strong serve followed by a strong block. I have confidence in Wakatoshi's power, however, that white-haired kid is fast. If he has a good enough read block, then he could possibly get a one-touch on every single spike that goes over that net" (Name) thought out loud. The coaches nodded with her musings.

"What about the others on the team? What stats can you see from them?" (Name) tilted her head back

"Their setter is about an even match for Shirabu, but that's all physical. Their setter is nowhere near Eita physically." she leaned her head forward. "But if I were to be completely honest, Shirabu utilizes Wakatoshi in a way that is safe, in a way that makes him look like a champion ace," Washijo grumbled slightly.

"We'll start with Shirabu. When he goes back to serve we'll switch to Semi." (Name) was afraid he'd say that. It's the choice she would have made too. It's not a bad deal for Eita, but emotionally it must feel awful. The better Shirabu does this match, the longer he'll stay in.

Just like (Name) predicted, the kid with the white hair was very much trouble for any other spiker than Wakatoshi. He seemed to be the one who dictates where the other massive players jump, illustrating his incredible read block skills. Shirabu seemed to make wise decisions against the blocks though. Washijo seemed pleased. (Name) looked over to Soekawa and gripped the tips of her hair, indicating that she had a message for Eita. she then motioned to herself to indicate it was a personal matter, Soekawa nodded, indicating for her to start the message. Several gestures later and Soekawa got the entire message. The manager on the Date Tech bench questioned what all the hand motions were about as she took her eyes off her team for a second.

"Semi," Soekawa caught his attention "(L/Name)-chan wants to know how you're doing. She's worried about you apparently." Eita blinked before looking over at (Name). She did seem worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine, tell her not to worry. So long as we get to keep playing and continue our season together, I'm fine." He gives a bit of a smile before looking towards the game once more. Soekawa had no idea what Eita meant, but he relayed the entire message regardless. (Name) seemed to understand and refocus.

The game was won in 2 sets, but not without Date Tech putting up a fight. As they were leaving, Taichi and Satori were looking up in the stands for (K/Name), but she wasn't there. (Name) became worried again.

"Maybe she went to get a drink or something?" Eita suggested as they took a break.

"She wouldn't do that without telling at least one of us though, that's why we're worried." (Name) sighed as she checked her phone for messages. Taichi was frantically checking his phone as well.

"If she ran off, where would she go?" Eita looked around the venue along with Wakatoshi. This was one of (Name)'s babies. Leon was trying to keep everyone calm, but Taichi was becoming increasingly panicked. Satori seemed to have an idea of what happened but decides to keep it to himself. If he was right, then (K/Name) wasn't feeling too well right now.

(Name)'s phone then suddenly buzzed in her pocket. With swift movements, she took it out and answered the call without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" She answered as she placed a hand under her elbow. "Eh?! You?! You found her?" (Name) let out a sigh of relief along with Taichi. "Thank god, yeah if you could stay with her that would be great. So what happened? Did she get overwhelmed by the stands? What happened?" (Name) paused again as she paced slightly. She nodded "Okay, we'll be there in a bit, can you do me a favor and try to calm her nerves? You've always been the best at comforting others. We're on our way now. See you." (Name) then hung up and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "She's on a bench by the water fountains. My old setter's with her." Soekawa furrowed his brows, old setter?

The entire second-year squad and Taichi made their way to the water fountains to find a slightly soothed (K/Name) with a relaxed looking girl. The girl waved her taped up fingers at them. Taichi was quick to approach (K/Name), and she noticed him just as instantaneously. He took her into a protective hug, not caring who saw.

"Glad to see you're still playing Kawanishi-kun. I should probably take my leave though." the lazy looking setter says as she gently taps (K/Name)'s shoulder "Mind if I stop the music? You doing okay now (K/L/Name)-chan?" (K/Name) nodded her head and silently thanked the second year setter. She slipped the phone and headphones back into her sleeve. "Hey Ace, you seem more chipper. I'm glad."

"Thank you," (Name) thanked the soothing girl. Eita took a slight interest in the girl.

"No problem dude, any time. And hey, when you're having a good day, let me toss my ace a few! I miss hearing your spikes! Maybe play a 2 on 2 with me and a couple other girls!" (Name)'s setter then swiftly and harshly slaps her back before leaving with a wave. (Name) rubbed her back as she almost cried in pain. "OH! I almost forgot!" The setter stopped in her tracks before spinning around and throwing a couple CDs at (Name). "One of those is a present from me, the other is the information on Seijoh I promised. Have fun!" she began walking again.

"Jeez... those pockets of hers are endless..." (Name) commented before looking over at Taichi and (K/Name). They seemed happier now.

"So... you used to play volleyball (L/Name)-chan?" Soekawa asked. (K/Name)'s ears perked up

"She was the best on the Shiratorizawa girl team! (Name)-senpai broke through blocks that were taller than her! Her serves were deadly too!" (K/name) grabbed Satori's sleeve as she began to jump in place, carefully not bothering him by bringing her knees up when she jumped. He gave her a huge smile "She was the ace of the team! She wasn't bad at setting either!"

"Th-that was only in emergencies (K/Name)-chan, calm down!"

"A rather large mood swing..."

"Yeah, I think my trusty setter did a good job of calming her down..." (Name) sighed. She'd have to buy her setter dinner later. "You okay now (K/Name)?"

"Yeah, sorry about leaving like that... it was really loud and crowded..." (K/Name) looked down slightly

"I bet. Shiratorizawa's cheer squad is one thing, but mixed with Date Tech's must have been way too loud!" Satori leans over into (K/Name) with a big smile on his face. Taichi walks up to the other side of her.

"So what is the present your setter got you?" Leon asks as he looks over the CDs.

"I honestly have no idea. We can watch it when we get back, though and find out."

Later, after a long day of volleyball and a bus ride that (Name) ended up falling asleep on again, they were back on campus. The second years, (K/Name) and Taichi gathered in Soekawa's dorm, seeing as he had a TV and a DVD player. Several movies were also scattered on a nearby desk.

"I have to admit, this is the most people I've had in my dorm room," Soekawa says as he pops the CD that the relaxed setter gave (Name). He then sat on the floor in front of his couch next to Leon and Hayato. (K/Name) had sunk too far into a huge bean bag chair and was struggling slightly while Taichi sat up against the bean bag chair. Satori tried to sit in the chair with (K/Name) but ended up getting stuck with her. Wakatoshi, (Name), and Eita all sat on the couch.

The video started out simple enough, shaky hand and chatter in the background, but then the camera moves up, to reveal a volleyball court.

**_'Man, (L/name)'s playing well today, hey are you her mom?'_ **

_**'OH? So you've noticed my little girl!? Isn't she precious!'**_ (Name) bit her lip and furrowed her brow as she heard her mother's voice. Did her mom get in contact with her old setter just to give her this?!

 _ **'(L/Name) get the last one!'**_ (Name) hears a familiar voice on the tape as she watches her setter's perfect form.

"(Name)-senpai, this was our Finals game!" (K/Name) points out "After the nationals, you went into retirement" (K/Name) went back to struggling slightly with Satori. "This might have been a bad idea, by the way, Satori-senpai..." Taichi shook his head. He looked to be done.

"You're right, It was my last game vs Shirogane." (Name) watched as she sent a piercing spike through the block.

 ** _'NICE! (L/Name)-senpai!'_** A scruffy girl called out, (Name) and her setter then ran over to each other and gave each other an over the head high five. Not two seconds after that they were holding their hands trying to soothe the pain.

"Ah, We had a bad habit of hurting each other by accident..." (Name) looked down, but the boys were enthralled with the home video.

"Your setter's got a nice form..." Eita comments. An irk mark appears on (Name)'s forehead. Wakatoshi quickly notices.

"Your libero's quick too, does she still go here?" Hayato asks. (Name) smacks him in the back of the head.

"Are you trying to find a date from my old home videos Hayato? I would expect that from Satori, but not you man!"

"She's cute!" Hayato gestures at Soekawa's TV. Soekawa gives a grimace. Were they always like this?

"Quit trying to pick up girls from my old team!!" Satori raises his hand with a cheeky grin

"Too late (Name)!"

"Satori-senpai, considering you're stuck, that might not have been a wise move." Taichi points out. Satori shivers and (K/Name) giggles slightly. Leon places a hand on his face and shakes his head slightly. A good chunk of this room was about to die by Momma bird talons.

When the video ends, Soekawa carefully placed the home video back in its case.

"Any idea why she gave you that?" He asked as he handed the case back to its rightful owner.

"Probably as a reminder of who I used to be. I think she knows I'm hesitant to do anything involving surgery right now." (Name) admits. "I want to stay with the team," Soekawa looks over at Leon for answers. He waves his hand to indicate he'll be told later.

"What about after high school?" Wakatoshi questions firmly. He seemed to lean in closer to (Name), and the entire room began to silently freak out. Everyone in that room knew of Wakatoshi's crush except for (Name).

"What about college?" She replied back. "I need to think about my future,"

"College can wait, your knee hurting affects your future too." Wakatoshi was blunt.

"Are we about to have another worry war?" Leon whispers to Hayato. Soekawa looked at him confused. "They'll get like this where they start bickering about each other's well being. All we're missing now is for (Name) to start worrying about Wakatoshi."

"Wakatoshi," (Name) said in a stern tone, "I don't want to live with my parents you know, I want to leave as soon as I can,"

"Then live with me," Wakatoshi said with a deathly serious tone. The entire room felt their spirits leave their bodies.

'THAT IDIOT!'

"H-Huh?!" (Name) blushed at his sudden proposal. "Y-You can't be serious, Wakatoshi that..." She then looked over Wakatoshi's face. He was very much not kidding. "Oh my god, you're serious..." Her face became even brighter. Wakatoshi noticed and checked her forehead for a fever. Did she strain herself again? "I um... I need to go, I'll think about it, okay Wakatoshi?" Her heart was racing. "Talk to you guys later!" she then rushed out the door, forgetting the DVDs that she was just given that day. (K/Name) realizes the danger her blunt upperclassman has put himself in and quickly struggles out of the bean bag chair by grabbing onto Taichi and lifting herself up. (K/Name) then scoops up the DVDs and rushes out the door after (Name).

As soon as the door closes, Leon gives his roommate a very tired look.

"You might have just screwed up..."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Satori let out a muffled scream from the bean bag chair. Soekawa gave out a nervous laugh

"Maybe it's not that bad! Maybe it's some sort of misunderstanding... did you really ask her to move in with you after high school?"

"Yes," Wakatoshi replies bluntly. Soekawa's positive face froze on his face as he laced his fingers in front of his mouth and curled up into a tight ball and lays on the ground. Taichi grabbed his face and pulls.

"Our Dense idiot ace..."

"Super volleyball idiot" Leon adds.

"Okay, well we have (K/Name)-chan going to talk to her, maybe she'll come back with good news?" Hayato was hopeful.

"I was offering her an option so that she would go through with the surgery, she'll be happier that way. She misses volleyball." Wakatoshi answered honestly again. Honest was all this boy did. A loud groan emanated from the room. Eita then stood up and placed his hands on Wakatoshi's shoulders.

"Alright, but you just asked her to do something VERY intimate. Like, people move in with each other when they become roommates or they've been lovers for a while,"

"Then I'll ask (Name) to be my roommate"

"THAT MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE!" Eita falls back on the couch "I need tea"

"How would it make it worse?" Wakatoshi questions

"She might take it the wrong way, what if she does like you, Wakatoshi, and you ask her to be a roommate? That's like, friend-zoning."

"It's what?" Wakatoshi looked confused. Taichi stood up as Satori wildly waved his arms around for someone to lift him from his cushion imprisonment. Begrudgingly, he helped the wild boy.

"Think of it this way," Taichi begins as he pulls Satori out "I spend a lot of time with (K/Name), we hold hands, we hug, and if she needs it, I'll cuddle her." Taichi makes a gesture towards Wakatoshi with his hands "But I would never date (K/Name). She's too close, she's like my sister." Taichi let his arms fall to his side "You might not realize it, but you have those categories. (L/Name)-senpai might think she's in the 'non-romantic' category if you do that."

"But she's not." Wakatoshi retorted honestly

"We Know! But she doesn't! For all she knows, your only emotion is volleyball!" Eita chimes in again. "Soekawa do you have tea? I feel like we always have tea when something like this happens..." Soekawa stays still on the floor at his future ace's stupidity. Taichi sighs as he shifts his jaw and thinks. (K/Name) would probably be able to come up with something, right?


	29. The King

After the incident, (Name) was awkward around Wakatoshi, and he didn't like it. She didn't talk as much, and she looked away a lot. Leon tried his best to push the two together again, but (Name) would find an excuse, even at the regional finals.

"Man, this is bad..." Leon sighs as he looks on with Hayato. The libero nods as he happens to glance over at their other manager. He jumps slightly when he sees a rather intense pout on (K/name)'s face.

"Crap, now?! Of all times?!" Taichi utters and Satori also looks over at their tiny manager. He chokes and then runs over to (K/Name) to see if he can do anything, but she turns away and continues to pout.

"Where's (Name)? Maybe she can do something about (K/Name)?" Satori panics slightly, and Shirabu turns to him. The first-year setter points out the gym doors.

"(L/Name)-san went to fill the water bottles." The stern setter then went back to practice. Soekawa smiled

"Oh, Okay, we can just text her then ri-" He then looked over at Leon, Hayato, Satori, and Wakatoshi. Their faces seemed stressed.

"We can't send Wakatoshi to save her.... And (K/Name) is in Grumpy mode..." Satori sighed. "Maybe nothing will happen this time..." Satori hoped. Hayato grimaced as he looked over at the opposing team. They were facing Aoba Josai in the finals, and he didn't see Oikawa. Things might not be fine.

(Name) trudged to the water fountains as she thought about Wakatoshi. He's been the single thing that's been plaguing her thoughts since he asked her to move in with him after high school. She couldn't face him either. Her thoughts would get to her, and she'd have to look elsewhere or find something else to do.

'I thought I could read him, but then he goes and does something like that, and I feel like I'm back to square one! What did he mean by that?! Why did he say that?!' (Name) thought to herself as she finally arrived at the fountains. She slowly unzips the bag and plucks out a water bottle to be filled.

"Mind if I fill mine first (Name)-chan?" a voice called to her. It sounded familiar, but at the same time, it didn't. (Name) looked up to see Oikawa standing there, but he didn't have his saccharine grin on this time. He almost looked serious as he stared at her. She didn't struggle as she moved out of the way of the fountain. Her face remained the same, and she didn't speak a word to him. He unscrewed the cap and began to fill the water bottle. "What did he say to you that has you like this?" she flinched as Oikawa shifted his gaze up to her. "You're barely aware of your surroundings, and you haven't said one snarky word to me." once the bottle is filled, he screws the cap back on as he approaches her. "It's like you're barely here. (Name), what happened?" He then lifts a hand and runs it through her hair. She flinches again. Her eyes widen at her, but she continues to say nothing. It feels like she can't, "I care about you (Name), you know that, right? I want the best for you." a breath was stolen from her lungs after he said that. It made sense now. She knew why Wakatoshi said that now. Oikawa unwittingly helped her figure it out. Wakatoshi cared. He cared maybe too much. If it was love was yet to be decided, but she knew that he cared immensely.

From the time he carried her to the dorms to the time he carried a way too full laundry basket for her just to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, to the multiple times he would wait to walk with her to school, practice, and the dorms, to the time he wouldn't leave her alone at the water fountains, and the time he held her and refused to let go when she was sick, and the time he held her to calm down after Bokuto pestered her past her tipping point. There were so many other small things that (Name) could think of as well that proved her theory on the boy. Her thoughts begin to catch up with her.

'If he does care that much, then maybe I do have a chance... maybe...' she stared blankly at the ground as a new feeling of hope bursts through her chest.

Oikawa attempts to lift her head so that she'll look at him, but she then slaps his hand away. He made a slight grimace at the pain the slap caused him.

"Sorry that my silence had you worried. I'm alright. I should thank you though," she looks up at the now surprised Oikawa. Her entire disposition has changed. She no longer looked confused or vulnerable, but she looked hopeful and determined. "You were right. I wasn't myself. Wakatoshi had said something that I didn't understand, but your gestures made me realize what he meant. I fully understand it now." She gives the boy a sly smile. "You should go stretch Oikawa-san, you'll want to be at your best if you want to have any chance up against my boys." Her grin was smug as she pushed him out of the way to happily fill water bottles. Oikawa began to seeth rage at her, but he sulked off and didn't dare harm a hair on her head. She had provoked him for a reason, and he had to cool down. She was a smart manager, and she knew how to give her team the best possible chance of winning.

(Name) came back with a big happy grin on her face, and the second-years were confused. They had seen Oikawa enter earlier seething, so they began to wonder what happened. Taichi hesitantly approached to get his fingers wrapped by (Name), and she happily did so.

"So... everything's fine and dandy now?" Taichi questioned his precious upperclassman. She nodded.

"I just had trouble understanding Wakatoshi for a little bit, but I get it now." Satori quickly approached and waited for (Name) to finish with Taichi's fingers. "He wants the best for me, and he's argued with me in the past to make sure the best does happen for me. The surgery I'm hesitant of would improve my life without a doubt" She tore the tape and began working on his other hand "and he knows this. The sooner I do it, the better. He wants me to be happy, and probably knows that volleyball makes me happy too."

Leon stares with a surprised look on his face. She had just figured out what Wakatoshi meant behind his words without figuring out that he's in love with her. Eita looks over at Wakatoshi to try and gauge his reaction, but naturally, he got almost nothing from it. He stayed cool and went back to warming up. Hayato looked back and forth between (Name) and Wakatoshi.

"It's amazing that they aren't dating yet," he mutters to Leon. The wing spiker nods

"They're the same breed. Volleyball idiot." He replied. Satori cleared his throat as he held out his hands to (Name).

"So (Name), we have kind of a problem..." Satori mentions as he's getting his long fingers wrapped by his manager.

"What did you do?" She asks in an exasperated tone as she gave him a glare.

"IT WASN'T ME THIS TIME!" Satori proclaimed as his manager silently judges him. "No! No no! It's (K/Name)!" he begins "She's gotten into that grumpy mood thing and neither Taichi or I can do anything."

"GEH"

"What do you mean geh?" Satori watched as the manager turns her head away from where (K/Name) was. "...(Name)?"

"I'm sorry Satori, but if you were looking for me to pull her out of that, you're out of luck..." She then gives the middle blocker a grave look "I've never successfully pulled her out of one of those moods... Good luck." she then pats his back after she was done wrapping his fingers and jogs over to Leon to see if he needs anything, leaving Satori dumbfounded.

The game starts and a grumpy (K/Name) heads to the stands. She had headphones with her this time to help with the noise. (Name) watched nervously as her junior glared at the world for a reason that only she knew. She sighed and looked over at Soekawa in the reserves box. She gives a quick hand signal

'Ready?' He turns to Eita and asks him the same question. He seems to nod and tell Soekawa something. Soekawa nods and then quickly gestures back to (Name)

'When are we not ready?' (Name) smiles and looks forward again. Her team should be fine. Wakatoshi seemed to be doing better as well since she started talking to him again. The team seemed more relaxed as well... well, everyone except the very grumpy (K/Name) who seemed to put herself into quite the stupor.

And then there was Oikawa. He had been side-eyeing her the entire time, and she was becoming annoyed. He had the audacity to touch her earlier, and now he was staring like he needed something from her. She shot him a glare, but he seemed unfazed by it. He was thinking, she could tell. (Name) wasn't as good at reading people as (K/Name) was, but she was aware of who Oikawa was as a person.

As the game went on, Oikawa's skills as a setter began to really shine through. He brought out the absolute best in his team, and it really showed.

But it would never be enough. (Name) could see his frustration and hatred seep through that perfect smile he wore. He hated that he couldn't beat him. (Name) almost felt bad, but it was a necessary evil for her boys to continue playing.

The Shiratorizawa boys celebrated their finals victory. It was a tough battle of 5 sets, but (Name) never had any doubt that they would win. She greeted them as they walk over to the bench. The coach spoke with them quickly. Victory was to be expected of them, so he knit picked several things before dismissing them to the bus. The second years and Taichi, however, stuck around to listen to what (Name) had to say to them. Shirabu noticed and clicked his tongue.

'There they go again, acting like she's more important than she is. Tokyo rich girl...' he thought to himself and walked away. He was starting to get seriously annoyed by (Name), she was just a manager.

"Nice going! I'll give you guys further nutritional instruction when we get back." (Name) smiles at them. She noticed Shirabu walk away, however, and became worried about him. He was taking a while to open up to her, and the coach wanted her to be close to all the team members from second-year down. She sighed and instructed the boys surrounding her to go do what they needed to do.

She was doing her final rounds in the locker room as she checked for forgotten items, and ended up finding Hayato's phone in the process. He probably had no idea he even left it there, but that's why she did her rounds. She slid the phone into her bag and zipped it as she left the locker rooms, bumping into a familiar brown-haired boy in a teal uniform. (Name) quickly looks up and sees Oikawa just staring at her. (Name) blinks before trying to move around him, but he grabs her arm and quickly envelopes her. She gasps as one arm wraps around her waist and the other snakes up her back to support the back of her head.

"Oikawa-san, what are you doing?!" she begins to try and push him back, but he whispers something

"Please." she stops briefly after hearing him say that. "Let me have this. Please," he whispers again. "Let me have this one thing. Just this." (Name) listened for a little bit as he cooed into her hair. She let out a slight sigh and dropped her arms to her side.

"Why?" she replied "Why should I let you have this when you don't mean it." he gripped her a bit tighter. "What is this to you? Is it comfort for your loss? Or is it trying to take some sort of victory from Wakatoshi?" Oikawa gritted his teeth as he desperately weaved his fingers into her hair. She stood there void of emotion, refusing to give him any sort of satisfaction from the embrace. "You're trying to steal something from him. You're trying to steal away my affections from him. You want a victory against him so badly that you're willing to do this?" she felt his hand move to her face. He came in close to her face, lips nearly touching hers, but he stopped. He couldn't do it after she admitted she knew what he was doing, even if he wasn't willing to admit it to himself. Her face was stoic as he was frozen there. She was right. He was desperate for a victory. "Hayato please help me. I want to go home. Also, your phone is in my bag" (Name) said in a flat tone.

"GEH! She knew I was here!" Hayato gawked from behind a corner.

Oikawa clicked his tongue as he roughly let go of her and spun around quickly before storming off. She side-eyed him as he attempted to keep his swirling mess of emotions in check as he returned to his team.

"You can come out too, Shirabu. Hayato would have tackled Oikawa as soon as he touched me, so I know you're there too. Anyone else would have let Hayato attack him or attacked him as well." Slowly but surely Shirabu revealed himself. He only started to follow her after she had left Wakatoshi's side. He wanted to figure out more, but the more he learned, the less he felt he knew. His gaze was just as intense as hers as he stared into her eyes. She took a deep breath through her nose and looked up at the two members of her team. Shirabu attempted to read her, but she had drained herself of emotions, leaving nothing but a husk of herself for him to read. She only continued to baffle and aggravate him.

All was calm and peaceful on the bus. Someone seemed to have managed to pull (K/Name) out of grumpy mode because she was affectionately holding both Taichi's and Satori's hands. Both boys rested their heads on her shoulders. (Name) couldn't help but crack a small smile and take a picture of them.

Wakatoshi waited patiently for (Name) to come and sit with him and seemed happy when she did, and she immediately fell asleep on him. She was emotionally drained from her encounter with Oikawa, and Wakatoshi was a soothing presence for her. He smiled slightly at her, and gladly placed his jacket over her. Soekawa looks over to Leon as he's browsing his phone

"We know, it's cute, but it literally happened right after our first practice match with Seijoh during our first year too" Leon looks over and sighs "They've been having cute moments like that for over a year now,"

Soekawa looked over with knitted brow and a wry smile. 'Incredible' was the only word he could think of.


	30. "Eeeeeeuuyyyuuuuuwwooops"

(Name) took a deep breath as she stepped off the bus. The cool wall of air caused a slight shiver as she left the heated vehicle. They had finally arrived in Tokyo after the long trip. She held two blankets in her hands, one that she and Wakatoshi eventually ended up using and one that Taichi hogged to himself. The city was draped in sleepy darkness, but the light of civilization made it seem awake. Tokyo was nothing like Miyagi. (Name) of course, was already aware of this. It had been an entire year since she came home. She wondered how her grandparents and parents were doing. She gave one last glance to the direction of her childhood home before heading inside with the rest of her team.

Upon entering the hotel, the boys left for their respective rooms. Taichi was peeved that he would have to spend time with Shirabu, but he bit his tongue and put up with it. The second years were divided into three rooms this year, two in each. They decided to split similarly to how their dorms were, except Eita switched with Wakatoshi, claiming he 'needed a break.'

"Hey hey! Wakatoshi! Wanna go visit the girls? They should be done unpacking!" Satori suggested as he excitedly points towards the door.

"(Name) would probably be angry that we aren't resting." He answers honestly. He wanted to see her, but he knew her too well. They had just gone through a 3-hour trip, and it was getting late. Nationals started the next day.

"Aw, no fun! I wanted to see (K/Name)-chan!" Satori's arms dangled at his side as he swayed slightly. Wakatoshi turned and stared at him

"You just spent 3 hours with her."

"Are 3 hours enough for you and (Name)?" the redhead quipped. Even if Wakatoshi only blinked back, Satori knew the emotionless man well enough to know he had just won. While the others knew of his deep feelings for (Name), they were unaware of how deep they went. Wakatoshi was at the point where he would marry her if given the chance. He would spend all his free time just holding her, and he would do anything to keep her happy and smiling. "Great! So now that we've agreed on that, let's go visit them!"

(Name) was just finishing up putting together everything for tomorrow. (K/Name) had fallen asleep as soon as she hit her bed. (Name) smiles at the cute manager, (K/Name) had fallen asleep before she could help out with putting everything together. (Name) didn't have the heart to wake the little rabbit, however. She sighs and moves to get changed. Just as she was lifting her shirt over her stomach, the door swings open.

"(Name), (K/Name)! We came to see-" a cold realization enveloped the room as (Name)'s lacy bra peeked from under her shirt. Wakatoshi stood there frozen, he couldn't look away, Satori had a nervous smile on as he held the doorknob, "Eeeeyyuwoops..." was the only thing that he could fall from his mouth as he stood there paralyzed. (Name)'s stare sucked the air from around the boys as she took a deep breath before lowering her shirt.

She was too calm.

"Wakatoshi, run," was all Satori said before bolting from the room. Wakatoshi wasted no time in following. (Name) calmly walked to the door, walked out, then gently shut it behind her to not wake up (K/Name). She then calmly walked to where Satori and Wakatoshi were staying.

Leon and Eita had noticed the middle blocker and the ace run past their door and were curious as to what was going on. They took a peek, but then quickly shrunk back into their room when they saw (Name) calmly walking towards their room. She was incredibly calm, but something was very off. It was like the calm before the storm, and it created clouds of anxiety around her. She noticed Eita and Leon, and they jumped. They both shakily raised a hand to greet her, and she smiled sweetly and waved back. Were it not for the turbulent swirling mass of dark energy rolling off her, they would have thought that (Name) was content, happy even, but the energy spoke otherwise. They had felt it before, they had felt it when the seniors tried to peep on her at last years training camp.

"Ah! Eita, Leon! It's getting late you know! You should get some rest!" She says before she continues to calmly walk towards Wakatoshi and Satori's room. They attempted to swallow the masses in their throats as they nod and obey her. She was not to be trifled with at the moment. She had passed Soekawa and Hayato's room as well, Soekawa was about to greet her, but Hayato quickly pulled him back into the room as she calmly walked past. He knew a hurricane was coming.

In Satori and Wakatoshi's room, Satori's anxiety was beginning to build. It was like a horror movie.

"If she ran, she would have been here by now..." Satori says as he hugs a pillow. Wakatoshi was sitting on his bed and staring straight down. What he had seen was something he had mixed feelings about. (Name) was gorgeous, he couldn't deny it, but he'd feel guilty if he admitted to being glad he saw her like that, even if it was just a peek. It made him want to touch her, hold her, but at the moment she probably wanted to kill him. "She's taking forever, she's going to kill us Wakatoshi," Wakatoshi gave him a slight glare. "What?"

"You should have knocked."

"Hey, Hindsight is 20/20, I know that now!" Satori peered out the peephole in the hotel door once again. "At least you got to see something you wanted to see, what do you think eh?" he elicited a glare and a slight blush from the ever stoic Wakatoshi, and Satori relished it. He was amazed that (Name) had such an effect on him, "Oh HO HO HO HO? What's this!? Emotion? From you? Oh my oh my!" Satori was distracted from the door and ran over to Wakatoshi. He couldn't help but tease his ace. "You look so guilty though! Look at you!"

"I didn't mean to see her like that." Wakatoshi bit.

"I'm glad you're apologetic Waka-chan!" an overly sweet feminine voice called. The room went silent. Wakatoshi and Satori held their breath as they slowly turn their heads towards the source of the sweet yet frightening voice. "So Sa-chan! Why didn't you knock, huh?" The (H/C) hair of the manager before them was perfectly in place and not a bead of sweat was on her brow. She had walked calmly all the way to their room.

Neither boy could speak. They both were like deer in headlights. Neither had ever heard (Name) call them by cute pet names like that before.

"You weren't intentionally trying to see something, were you? Sa-chan?" Satori immediately jumps up and begins waving his hands around in circular motions

"NO NO NO NO NO! I swear! I-It was an accident! I just wanted to visit (K/Name)-chan!"

"Promise?" (Name) tilted her head forward. The other second years couldn't help their curiosity as they peered into the room.

"I swear! I just wanted to see (K/Name)! N-Not like that though! I wanted to see her as in visit! Not-not shirtless!" Eita placed a hand on his face.

"Just stop talking Satori..." He mutters. Leon nods.

"Mhm, that's what I thought. I can't lay a finger on you right now because you both have tournaments tomorrow, however, If either of you try that shit again," the sweetness drops from her voice "You won't be as lucky, after all, you are aware of what happened last year at training camp, right?" The honey once again dripped from her voice as she called out to her team "Sa-chan? Waka-chan? Yato-chan? Leo-chan? Ei-chan?" she turns on her heels "Jin-chan, just don't be an idiot and you'll be fine." she begins to walk out as she leaves the terrified group of second years. "Nighty night~!" She calls out in a saccharine tone and sauntered down the hall.

"Of course she knew we were there... it's like she's got a 6th sense for us..." Eita shuttered. Hayato nods. Soekawa looked at his teammates, they clearly knew more than he did, he was slightly curious, but at the same time, he didn't want to know.

The next day (K/Name)'s sweet face soothed some of the boys as she entered the bus, but they were quickly reminded of the threat (Name) had made when she spoke to the young manager. Taichi and Shirabu were confused by the strange behavior of the second years, but they went about their own business. The third years were used to this group being weird. The trip was peaceful otherwise, even if the second years were fearful. Wakatoshi sat next to (Name) as he always did, but he was very careful. He did his best not to touch her and barely looked at her. Her exposed skin still fresh in his mind.

"Hey, (K/Name)-chan, I need to speak with the second-years quickly, can you go fill the water bottles?" The second years jump slightly, what did their manager need to speak with them about?

"Of course! I'll be right back!" the small manager slings the bag over her shoulder and bounds out the door. The cheery attitude that the first-year brought did not dissipate as she left but lingered slightly.

"I know you all are wary of me right now," (Name) began "and I'm sorry if I went too far yesterday, I was very upset, as you could probably tell." she looked to the now more relaxed second years "I let my emotions get the better of me." (Name) couldn't help how she felt the night before, however. When the seniors tried to peek on her during the training camp, she was distrusting of them, to begin with. She wasn't hurt by their actions. When Satori and Wakatoshi walked in on her, she felt something in her snap. A sense of trust was lost, and her rage got the better of her. "I'm not mad. Not anymore at least. Satori probably just made a mistake, a stupid one at that." (Name) let out a small laugh as Eita elbowed Satori

"What did you do!?" Satori gave him a nervous wide grin.

"Ah..."

"He and Wakatoshi accidentally walked in on me changing, although it was Satori that opened the door without knocking, Wakatoshi could have easily knocked too." Leon let out a tired sigh. Hayato gave an unamused look to Satori. Soekawa sweat. He slowly felt the dynamic return to how it was before. "Now, get warmed up guys! Good luck!" (Name) cheered at them, and they quickly left to warm up. Wakatoshi stayed behind slightly and stared down at (Name). "Eh? Did you need something?" (Name) looked over his face, but quickly felt her hand in his. He gave a gentle squeeze before following his teammates. Her heart raced from that small bit of affection. That was probably the most public form of affection he's shown her, and he initiated it. He wanted that, and he took it.

(Name) smiled. She wanted so much more from him, but that small show of affection was huge, it kept her going.

(Name) noticed a chipper (K/Name) return with Taichi. He had gone out to check on her (Knowing (Name)'s history with water fountains) and apparently had also offered to carry the water bottles back.

"(Name)-senpai! Itsuki's here!" (K/name) pointed out the tall basketball player in the stands. He gave a wave and (Name) waved back with her golden smile.

"Glad he could make it." (Name) smiled as she took the tape out. "Taichi, thanks for carrying those for (K/Name), I was worried if they'd be a bit heavy for her." He sets them down next to the bench and shakes his head.

"It's no problem." He glanced slightly at the tape, and (Name) understood. She held out one of her hands to Taichi, and he responds by placing his in it. She begins wrapping his fingers for him. Shirabu noticed yet again and clicked his tongue. He was really starting to lose patience with (Name). He didn't get it. Why did it HAVE to be (Name)? Taichi thanked her and ran off, opening up the spot for Satori.

"Hey Hey! (Name)! I want my fingers wrapped too!" (Name) smiled

"Of course you do! I should start teaching you, (K/Name) how to wrap their fingers like I do." (K/name) looks over at (Name) and tilts her head.

"Kya~! (K/Name)-chan! If you could learn how to wrap fingers like (Name) that would be great! I'd always come to you then!" (K/Name) giggled

"I guess that would allow (Name)-senpai to do more, huh?" (K/Name) smiles "Also I'd be able to wrap Taichi's fingers when he needs it too!"

"You're too cute, you know that (K/Name)-chan?" Satori smiles as he tests out his fingers by retracting them and extending them. (Name) sighs as she slaps him on the back.

"You can flirt after you get far in nationals." (Name) then goes to check on Wakatoshi. His hand squeeze still left her in a bit of a daze.

"(Name)." Wakatoshi greets her and gives her his full attention.

"We're about to start, so you should start conserving energy now. Do you need anything from me?" _Everything._

"Nothing off the top of my head. Thank you," he replies with a bit of pain in his chest. He hated keeping secrets from (Name). (Name) smiled at him and briefly grabbed his hand and squeezed it, returning the affection he had shown her earlier.

"Good luck, Wakatoshi." She whispers before slipping her hand out of his and returning to the bench. He watched her for a few moments and let his heart beat fast for a few moments before controlling himself and turning to his team. He ran his fingers lightly over where (Name)'s hand had been. He felt invincible.

Shiratorizawa ended up getting far. They placed in the top 8 in the country, and (Name) was full of pride and joy. Jin and her language proved useful once again and helped stay connected with her team when they became flustered.

Something was off, though. (Name) could feel it. She was laying in her bed to rest her knee, and Wakatoshi was with her. He was reading a book on the edge of the bed and occasionally chatted with her as she fell in and out of consciousness. His company was highly appreciated as the others were either refueling, resting or exploring. She knew (K/Name) was with Taichi and Itsuki, but something didn't feel right.

"I don't know why, but something isn't right..." (Name) sits up in her bed and Wakatoshi looks up from his book and looks over to her.

"What do you mean?" he takes his finger and places it in the open book to mark his place as he closes it slightly.

"Just call it a gut feeling... did Itsuki seem odd?" She questions him. He shrugs and finally finds an appropriate bookmark on the floor.

"I don't know him well enough to say either one way or the other." Wakatoshi placed the marker in between the pages before closing the book and placing it on the ground, giving his full attention to her.

"I suppose you're right. I noticed him glaring at Satori quite a bit." (Name) moved a bit closer to Wakatoshi.

"A lot of people do," Wakatoshi answered honestly.

"More than usual. He was also weird around (K/Name)... I wonder." Wakatoshi was completely oblivious to her train of thought, but he noticed her hand slide closer to his. He gladly accepts it and squeezes it slightly. "Taichi's always been the type to think analytically and gather facts, while Itsuki's the more emotional one. They made quite a bickering pair in middle school, but their love for (K/Name) and her wellbeing always brought them down from their highest fights, but something right now doesn't feel right. I think Taichi knows something too." (Name) slightly pulls Wakatoshi's hand, inviting him to come closer to her. He could feel her anxiety about a situation that she only had a gut feeling about.

"If you're worried for (K/L/Name), text her or Satori." He answers plainly. She rests her head on his chest as she whips out her phone and shoots Satori a message. She trusted him when it came to (K/Name). (Name) sighs as she curls up into Wakatoshi's body.

"Ugh, can you hand me my water bottle?" (Name) grumbles as she pulls away from him to reach for the bottle of pain medication on the hotel nightstand. Her knee began to hurt her again. He did as he was asked and reaches over for the water bottle.

"How bad is it this time?" he grabs it and quickly hands it back to (Name)

"What do you want me comparing it to?" (Name) opened the bottle and spilled 2 of the blue and red capsules out into her hand. Wakatoshi traded her water bottle for the pill bottle, placing the pain meds on the nightstand once more as she quickly tilted her head back and took large gulps of water to make sure the pills don't leave any sort of taste in her mouth.

"Anything. I want to know how you are doing." She removes her lips from the water bottle and screws the cap back on. She let out a heavy sigh

"The brace has made it better. The pain isn't as bad as when we first met, but it's not exactly an everyday pain." (Name) grips her knee and furrows her brow slightly. "This is definitely a bad day..." Wakatoshi blinks at her and then takes a deep breath through his nose. (Name) was in pain again.

He took the water bottle from her hands and placed it on the nightstand before crawling closer to her and embracing her. (Name) stiffened slightly, but melted into his touch quickly afterward. He laid down with her in his arms and stroked her back.

"Rest," he whispered to her. She nodded and cuddled closer to him.

"I'll try and not be in pain at the training camp..." (Name) says in a low voice.

"Just don't push yourself." He replied in a hushed tone against her hair "I told you at the practice game against Fukurodani, anytime you need me, I will be there for you." (Name)'s heart beats louder for him. When he held her like this, she felt like nothing could touch her, she felt invulnerable. She nodded and buried her face further into his chest and closed her eyes.


	31. Explode

The first years and Soekawa stood shocked outside the large imposing hot spring resort that the Shiratorizawa volleyball team rented out. (Name) couldn't help but chuckle slightly at them as they quickly try to regain their composure and follow their seniors.

"We were just like that," Hayato laughs a little as he pats Taichi's back. He then walks in alongside his fellow first string second years.

"(K/Name)-chan, we have a lot to prepare while the boys warm up to go through the mountains. We should get started." (Name) calls to the smaller manager and she nods as they rush in.

Once the team returns from the mountains, Wakatoshi, Leon, Satori, Eita, and Hayato all rush to the kitchen to see if they can help, confusing Shirabu.

"If they can't do it by themselves, then why become managers..." He mumbles. Taichi hears him but ignores it. He clearly still doesn't understand, and Taichi didn't know if he cared enough to tell him of his ignorance.

"Wakatoshi, we've got it, but if you really want to help..." Shirabu could hear her voice. He could hear (Name)'s voice. She used Ushijima's given name, and he did more for her than anyone else.

"Oh! Shirabu-kun! We'll have everything out in a minute!" There was her voice again. Everyone else seemed to swoon over it. She was a rich girl from Tokyo, why did she have this much power? Why did she have this much respect? She was just a manager! "Shirabu-kun! I hope you don't mind I altered your meal a little if you need anything just let me-" He couldn't let her finish

"Would you just leave me alone already!" he snapped at her, causing silence to fill the room. The entire team was staring at him and (Name) "You're just the manager! So leave me alone! What do you know!?" He continued as he glared at her "Why do you care!?" she stood frozen. She didn't say another word after that. Coach Saitou had gotten up to help defuse the situation, but (Name) waved the younger coach off. Washijo was watching carefully what she would do next.

"You're right." she whispers "I am just the manager. I will leave you be then." She states calmly and gets up to leave. Eita stands quickly and begins to charge at Shirabu, but (Name) subdues Eita quickly and sits him back down in the spot he was before. "Quit glaring. All of you." She whispers to her second-years. "Let him be." She then gets up and leaves the dining area.

"(Name)-chan, could you begin preparing for the practice match while you're up? The other team should be here in about an hour." Washijo calls out to her. "Thank you." his thanks was a signal for her to leave. She bowed and left the room. (K/Name) quickly followed her.

The second-years and Taichi all gave him one last glare before returning to caring for themselves.

The practice match was against a college team this time. (Name) tried to reduce her presence, and it killed Wakatoshi. (K/Name) did her best to help out more, but she avoided Shirabu like the plague. Satori and Taichi both kept an eye on her as well to make sure he didn't blow up on her either. Soekawa felt slightly lost. (Name) didn't communicate much, so he felt like he didn't have much of a use.

Once the game started, it was clear that college was a different level from high school. They were quicker, stronger, and they had the experience. (Name) watched as Hayato did his best to stand up against jump serve after jump serve. The opposing team had wonderful receives, and they kept up constant blocks. Their sets seemed almost effortless.

"Thoughts?" Washijo prompted. (Name) looks down and sighs

"The first thing that's going to get to them is the pressure. When you go up against someone that seems perfect, it gets to your head." (Name) observed Shirabu. How cruel that he chose today to blow up on her.

"You won't be able to bring him down gently eh?" The old voice grumbles. She shakes her head.

At that moment, something had gotten to Shirabu. He had set it, but he realized too late his mistake.

"The strong blocks, the constant one touches, the excellent use of dumps and the almost flawless receives, not to mention the setter with a cool head and textbook form." She tilts her head down as Wakatoshi goes for it anyways "This won't end well, A setter is the brain of the court. Mixed with the Ace's muscles and the Libero's heart, they create a healthy body. If one isn't working, then the entire system fails." Her eagle-like eyes practically predict the future as she sees the trajectory of the spike. "Shirabu..." (Name) whispered as the spike was slammed down on Shiratorizawa's side of the court. She saw his fingers tremble as the left-handed ace returned to the court.

Washijo was quick to switch Shirabu for Eita. as he held the number to switch him out, Shirabu's fingers were still shaking.

"Shirabu," Washijo said in a too calm of tone. He jogged over to the bench were the coaches and managers sat. (Name) had a feeling of what was coming next. She looked away as a sharp sound rang through the gym. Saitou flinched and raised his hands to Shirabu. Shirabu's eyes were wide and his left cheek red. (Name) could only imagine it stung. She couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look, even if he said all those things to her. She could see tears at the corners of his eyes. "Sit outside the gym and really think about how you screwed up that toss. Got it? I don't want you coming back in here for the rest of the game." Shirabu's eyes widen after the coach said that, but he gritted his teeth and obeyed the elderly man. He slowly jogged his way out of the gym, allowing a few tears to fall, but keeping most of them back.

"(K/Name)-chan, do you have this?" (K/Name) looked up at (Name)

"I think so? Are you going with him? He doesn't exactly like you..." Washijo watched the exchange out of the corner of his eye. (Name) got up and motioned a few things to Soekawa before grabbing a smaller cooler bag and stuffing a few things into it.

"It doesn't matter if he likes it. No one likes medicine, but we all need it." (Name) replies. "I'll be there for any of our members, regardless if they want me or not, and right now he's the one who needs me the most." The golden eagle then flew to where the boys' things were and then rushed outside. Wakatoshi notices but keeps his focus. Hayato will probably tell him in a little bit.

Outside the gym, Shirabu was curled up on a bench, trying to keep himself composed. The only way he's achieved so is by completely shutting down and being absolutely unaware of everything. In doing so he didn't notice (Name) approach him at all. She was able to open up the little cooler bag and take out an ice pack and place it on his cheek. He jumped at the sudden coldness of the ice pack, then looked up to see (Name)'s gentle eyes. 

"You'll play again. Coach needs you to understand though that you can't let yourself get easily flustered." he only stared at her. He couldn't find words to say, but she could "Your sets are far better for Wakatoshi than Eita's. Eita needs a team that doesn't have Wakatoshi, unfortunately." she noticed some tears running over once again, and she takes some tissues she brought out and began to clean his cheek. "You're a brilliant setter, and it's why Washijo got so upset."

"Why..." he whispered out. (Name) didn't answer at first. How could she? His question went much further than why.  
  


_Even after the eaglet scratched and bit her, she continued to shield it with a broken wing._

"If you need anything, and I mean anything, someone to vent to, someone to comfort you, let me know." She then unzipped her manager's jacket and draped it over Shirabu before heading back inside. She left the small freezer bag as well. He took notice and picked it up off the ground, finding that it was open. He lifted the top open and found a note, what looked to be a personal stash of sweets, his phone, a pair of headphones he didn't recognize, another ice pack and some tissues. He blinked at the fact that the manager was able to put this together in such a small amount of time, but it was also possible that she had something like this on hand at all times. He picked out the note and opened it, and it turned out to be her phone number and her dorm number back at the school. 'I guess she really did mean come to her for anything.' he examined it some more before taking his phone out of the care box and quickly entering her number into his contacts. He didn't know why, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

'I still have her jacket on...' he noticed the slightly smaller jacket on him. The smell that wafted from it was sweet, but it wasn't alluring. It was nostalgic. It was comforting. 'She still didn't answer my question' he thought. He looked down at the small stash of sweets that were also in the box. He gingerly takes one out and examines it before feeling satisfied and unwrapping it and stuffing it quickly into his face. He restrained himself to one as not to make himself appear to be a total mess, although he probably could have eaten about half of what (Name) had provided for him.

Once the game was over, Shirabu returned her jacket and he seemed less hostile than before. He still had questions, but his hostility towards her was gone. She didn't bug him about anything before taking both her jacket and the ice box back to her shared room with (K/Name).

"She help?" A familiar deep voice asked him. He quickly turned to see Wakatoshi standing there. Leon kept an eye on it to make sure he didn't kill the young setter for being aggressive. "You asked her in the dining area why she cared and what did she know. You also told her she was just a manager." Wakatoshi tilted his head forward "I can answer the questions, and disprove the statements you made" Shirabu soon realized how highly defensive Wakatoshi was of her, and how highly he must have thought of her as well.

"I'm listening, Ushijima-senpai." the rest of the team began to clear out, leaving the second years, a grumpy (K/Name), and Shirabu.

"Here, how about we all sit down?" Leon suggested.

After talking with Shirabu, he seemed horrified with what he had said to her. He had acted with complete and total ignorance to who she was and why she cared at all. She was here because she couldn't be where she wanted to be, and she cared because that's just who she is. She knows more than your average player too.

He continued to speed walk down the hall towards the girls' room. (K/Name) was with the other second-years, leaving him his perfect chance to finally confront her.

He quickly knocked on the door to her room. She took a few seconds, but she had gotten up and answered with a tired look.

"Oh, Shirabu-kun, do you need something? A snack?"

"Why did you keep silent about all that?!" He clenched his jaw as he stared at her "You let me just insult you again and again! Why!?" She blinked, blinked again, then took a deep breath.

"Come in, Shirabu." she motioned. "It's not exactly an easy answer."

He entered the open room. It had two futons spread out on the floor and some miscellaneous items scattered about. The room wasn't too messy, and the items were primarily manga. "Sit here," she instructed him to sit on her futon while she sat on the floor.

"It's your futon." He replied.

"I know, but I'd rather you'd be comfortable."

'Just like they said. Just like a mother.' Shirabu thought as he accepted finally and sat on her futon.

"Why I kept silent about it... it's because I didn't want pity." She looked up at him "I didn't want pity being the driving force behind any relationship I had with this team. You were the most hesitant of me, so I especially kept it from you."

"It caused me to lash out at you out of ignorance, (L/Name)-senpai."

"Call me (Name), and I apologize that I made you feel uncomfortable enough to cause you to have an outburst. You didn't have the privilege of coming to the middle school, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Is that why Kawanishi-san and (K/L/Name)-san both highly respect you?"

"In a sense, yes. I was the team captain of (K/Name)'s volleyball team. If you ask her about my volleyball she probably won't shut up for a few hours..." (Name) laughed nervously. "Taichi, or Kawanishi as you know him as, I tutored in volleyball. My coach used to call it plucking my feathers for them. She used to say that you could always tell which ones were my students because you could see the golden feathers in their wings,"

"Right, because you were called the Golden Girl" Shirabu replied. He was intently listening to everything (Name) had to say. "So where did you injure yourself, the others never mentioned" Shirabu questioned out of pure curiosity. (Name) smiled and pulled up her right pajama pant leg and showed the tightly wrapped black knee brace.

"Actually just got a new brace, I can do more heavy lifting now. It isn't perfect, but it's better."

"So are you always in pain?" Shirabu examined the expensive looking brace.

"Not really, but a mild amount every now and again. Some days are worse than others. There's no 100% recovery, and the closest I can get is a surgery that will get me to 93%" (Name) then looked away with a slight smile "The surgery, however, comes with drawbacks. I'd have to put my education on hold while I go through physical therapy. Probably wouldn't be able to walk right after the surgery too, and in Shiratorizawa, that sounds like a grade killer." He understood as he looked at the brace again. He couldn't imagine simply watching and assisting on the sidelines of the sport he loved, but she did it every day. "I'm happy though." Shirabu looked up at her with a confused look "I got to meet my idiot second years after all, we've been through a lot together!" He then recalled something Ushijima had said to him,

'I made a promise to play enough for both of us.' That day, he had never said who he was playing for. Shirabu looked up at (Name) and her motherly smile. He might have found out who one of the best aces in the country was playing for.

"By the way, Shirabu-kun" he lifted his head to look at her. "How are you doing? I'm worried about you." She sat with a sincere look. She really did worry, and she really did care. She was a stark contrast to the demon coach. Was that another reason she was so important? Her sincere caring? "You still don't want to open up to me, do you?" she smiled at him.

"You're very perceptive." He replies.

"And you hate being vulnerable." He flinched. "If you open up to me, you're making yourself vulnerable, right?" what was she thinking? "Alright then, I am in love with our ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi."

"GEH?!" Shirabu choked as he fell backward.

"I'm making it even for us. I'm opening up to you so that it's easier for when you feel comfortable opening up to me." (Name) smiles "I'm afraid of never living up to my parents and grandparents' legacies, it's why I push myself so hard, and I partially blame that for my knee deteriorating." Shirabu blinked owlishly. "I also approve of Satori pursuing (K/Name), I just say I dislike it for Taichi's sake." (Name) looks up at Shirabu

"... How... how many of these things have you told other people?"

"I've told only (K/Name) about my love for Wakatoshi, and I made her promise not to tell him, however, she's probably found loopholes." (Name) grimaced at the thought of her smart junior figuring out how to tell Wakatoshi. "But I'm not making you promise anything because I'm going to trust you like I want you to trust in me. I want you to trust me in one way or another. Whether it's with a massive secret that you've told no one else, or maybe you trust me with making your tea just right." she lifted her hand up and moved it towards his arm, but before touching, looking to see if he was alright with the touch. He nodded, and she lightly touched his arm "I want you to trust me with something, no matter how small." he finally smiled at her

"Coffee actually, I prefer coffee." (Name) smiled back

"I'll remember that then."


	32. Dumb, Dumber, and So Dumb she breaks

Shirabu became much more amiable after his talk with (Name) and actually began asking things of her. Each time he did, her eyes would light up with an excited glint. Eita called it "Mom Bliss." His improved relationship with her also seemed to improve his relationship with Wakatoshi. (Name) noticed his willingness to talk to Taichi and (K/name) more too. They seemed to be getting along better as well.

He didn't like admitting it, but her doting was comforting. He appreciated whenever he was given shit by the 3rd years she would give them an intense glare to silence them. She had also invited him to sit with her and the rest of the second years and first years. They were chattering at the large table as (Name) scanned each plate.

"Oh! By the way Taichi, can I borrow some of your math notes? I think you took better ones than I did. I need to study that a bit harder for exams coming up." (K/name) mentioned, catching (Name)'s attention.

"Oh yeah, exams are coming up." (Name) realizes. She turns her head to the second years "How is exam prep going for you guys?"

"It's been going pretty well. Those notes you lent me the other day have been helping" Leon responds. (Name) nods and glances at Wakatoshi, Hayato, Satori, and Eita.

"How about the rest of you?" She knew they weren't in the same level that she and Leon were in, but they seemed too nervous. (Name) looked over at her second years as they all look away. "... guys?" she knew something was up. "... let me see your latest graded tests," she says before they gave her a fearful look. Leon sighed. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

As they each slowly reached for their bags, the genius first years all looked on with confused looks. They couldn't be that stupid, right? It was Eita, Hayato, Satori, and Wakatoshi, they couldn't be that dumb.

How wrong they were. (Name) sat there with fingers laced together and elbows on the table. She hid her grimacing mouth with her hands as she looked down gravely at the boys' tests. She was shivering slightly.

"... So the volleyball scholarship, huh." she starts as she looks over the red pen marks on the papers. "... what classes are you all in?"

"3" Hayato and Wakatoshi reply at the same time.

"2," Satori says with a guilty smile and half-lidded eyes.

"1" Eita states as he lowers his head. (Name) took a deep breath. With the way they were going, they would each fail at least one exam.

"You all realize we have a practice game when make-up exams are being held, right?" She groans as she tilts her head back. "I guess we're helping you all study..."

"We?" Leon asks curiously.

"Leon, you are not leaving me to teach them by myself. Try and I'm beating the crap out of you." he sweats and sighs. He had a hunch she wouldn't let him dip out of this one.

As she sat down in the middle of Leon and Wakatoshi's dorm, (Name) spread out several papers. Each boy struggled with a different subject, so study sessions were probably going to be long and tedious. Leon sighed next to her as he wrote some things on the pages of homework.

"So why are all of you failing one subject or another?" (Name) asks as she rubs her temples.

"Volleyball," Wakatoshi answers simply as he stares directly at (Name).

"Same," Hayato looks to the side.

"Ah... I don't like trying sometimes..." Satori admits.

"... I have no real good excuse" Eita bows his head in shame.

"NONE OF THOSE ARE GOOD EXCUSES!" (Name) explodes. She tilts her head back before letting out a groan. "Well, let's see if we can keep you from failing at least..."

As Leon and (Name) tried their best, they still ran into troubles. Hayato was the easiest to tutor, he seemed focused enough and was only struggling with English. Wakatoshi seemed distracted and anxious. He struggled a bit in each subject, but if he focused he seemed to get it.

Satori and Eita were a bit more difficult. Satori would stare at problems in front of him while (Name) tried to explain it in the simplest terms possible. Hayato and Wakatoshi understood, but it either wasn't clicking for Satori or he just wasn't paying attention. Eita tried to keep up and succeeded a little. Leon would come in after (Name)'s explanation and tried to give another in hopes that providing multiple viewpoints would help. (Name) was clearly becoming more agitated. She was taking deeper breaths and rubbing her face more. (Name) finally had enough as she gently rammed her head into Wakatoshi's chest to calm herself down. Wakatoshi wasted no time in gently stroking her hair as he looked down at the top of her head. Hayato snorted.

"Congrats on being so stupid that (Name)'s this stressed." Leon lightly smacked the back of the Libero's head without even looking up from the papers he was writing on.

"You're here being tutored as well. You have no room to talk." Leon scolded. Eita and Satori gave a wry smile to both the libero and the Wing Spiker. "(Name), we've been going for a long time, why don't we take a break?" Leon asks. He only hears (Name) grunt as a response, not lifting herself from Wakatoshi's touch.

"I think it's (Name) who needs a break the most..." Eita sweats a little as he tries to look over her delicate handwriting. (Name) clearly needed a moment. She really just wanted to give up on Eita and Satori. It would make her life so much easier, but easy isn't always right. (name) kept repeating the mantra her grandfather used to tell her all the time to try and quell herself. (Name) didn't realize that she was silently repeating the saying out loud. Her stress had gotten to her. Wakatoshi and Hayato are the first to take notice.

"... (Name)?" Hayato questions. Wakatoshi brought her in a tiny bit closer, but she was still muttering. The rest finally noticed and looked at each other.

"... I think you broke her." Leon comments. Eita slumps over with the notes still in his hand. Satori lets out an exasperated breath.

"I think this study session is over," Wakatoshi states as he lifts up (Name) with ease. She was barely fazed by this action and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to support herself. Her face was still buried in his chest as she kept repeating her grandfather's words.

"Uh huh... that much was apparent," Eita comments as he tried to look over the notes again. He stuck his tongue out as he thought carefully about what was in front of him. Satori let out a small laugh at him. (Name) suddenly stops her chanting and swings her leg to make contact with Satori's head.

"QUIT LAUGHING! AT LEAST HE'S TRYING!" She finally lifts her head from Wakatoshi's chest to scream at Satori. Wakatoshi was mildly surprised by her sudden movements but did his best to keep her steady in his arms. With one arm still wrapped around Wakatoshi's neck, (Name) points at Satori and begins to scold him while still in the Ace's arms. "Of all the people who are most likely to FAIL in this room, it's YOU! Eita is actually GIVING A SHIT and studying even when he's not required by the study group! Work with me, man! WHAT WILL GET YOU TO STUDY!?" (Name) waved her free arm around, still completely unfazed by the fact that Wakatoshi was carrying her. The other second years were starting to get used to Wakatoshi and (Name)'s casual affection for one another, but this was a bit much.

'Just how comfortable are they with one another...'

A sly smile soon crosses Satori's face. What would get him to study? Was she offering anything? What exactly could he be bribed with? He began to think carefully.

'A date from (K/Name)? That's already gonna happen at some point... chocolate ice cream? Would have to be a lot of it...' A glint suddenly forms in his eyes. He had a perfect idea.

"What will get me to study?" He narrowed his eyes in a playful manner and tilts his head back slightly "A 'get out of jail free' card! If I do something dumb, you aren't allowed to beat me up or yell at me!" Satori closed his eyes and proudly crossed his arms. His teammates look on with confused and impressed looks. Was he actually trying to barter with (Name)?! (Name) pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Wakatoshi, I need to be put down." He nods and gently lowers her so that her feet touch the floor. Once she's standing, she walks over to her notebook and picks up a (F/C) gel pen. She quickly begins writing and doodling on the paper. After she seemed satisfied, she ripped the page from her notebook and tore it so that the slip she now held in her hand was smaller. She then walks closer to Satori and extends her arm with the drawn on piece of paper.

"Don't lose it."

'SHE'S AGREEING TO IT?!' the rest of the team gawks at her, and Satori's eyes nearly pop out of his head as he slowly takes the piece of paper from (Name).

"Whoa! I actually got one!" He checked out the neatly drawn swirls and bumps lining the edges and marveled at its rarity.

"But understand, if you lose it, I'm not giving you another one. If you don't study, I am ripping it to shreds. You can give it to someone else, but that means you lose your protection. Got it?" Satori quickly nodded his head. (Name) let out a long sigh mixed with a growl. "I think we're done for today... I'm going to bed." (Name) then slowly picks up her things before walking out the door. As the door shut with a solid click, Leon looked over at Eita and Satori.

"Well, you broke her, caused her to have some sort of stress-induced breakdown, enraged her, and then made her break in a different way. I'm impressed." Satori's mouth cut into his cheeks as he let a troubling look cross his face.

"Yeah, but I got this! Totally worth a kick to the head!" The rest of the team sighs as they all prepared to turn in for the night.

"Okay, the moment of truth, let's look at your work." (Name) said in a much more relaxed tone. Leon nodded as he picked up one of (Name)'s many colored pens. The gel grip was almost distracting as he graded alongside (Name). Several days of studying led them to this point, and the four flunkies seemed nervous. Eita seemed the most nervous. He had worked hard and pushed himself, finding that he could actually succeed if he just did a little bit more. Satori had been doing the bare minimum of what he was asked to do. He would often see his roommate at the kitchenette counter with all sorts of study materials laid out as he tried to focus. (Name) had given him tea as a reward for doing well, and he would often indulge in it while studying. Occasionally Satori would join him and look over notes, but he then would goof off once more and leave Eita to his monotonous mountain of work.

"There we go," Leon states as he hands back the papers he and (Name) had been working on. Most of the anxiety faded when (Name)'s face was free of any sort of anger or mystery. Her smile was genuine, and she seemed proud.

"Well, you all are going to pass, that's for sure, but I'm most proud of Eita. You really brought your grade up! You must've worked hard, huh?" (Name) was beaming at the setter. Eita lifted his head and blushed slightly. A chill soon caressed his spine as he felt a slight glare being directed at him. It didn't feel like Hayato, Satori, or Leon. (Name) was smiling at him, so it could only be one person.

'... Is Wakatoshi actually jealous that I'm getting praised by (Name)?' Eita's blush quickly faded as he got up and stretched.

"Ah, I guess we can finally take a break, huh?" He gathered some things before latching onto Satori's arm "Welp! We should go!" Satori let out a surprised noise, but let his giant lanky body be dragged by his roommate. Hayato also noticed the atmosphere change drastically and gave a quick wave before following Eita and Satori out. (Name) gave a questioning look to the door, but shook it off.

"I guess he really wanted a break. By the way thanks again Le-" (Name) looked over to Reon only to realize he was now in his room. She was a little annoyed but understood that they were probably tired. She turned her attention back to Wakatoshi, who had gotten a lot closer than she realized. She jumps slightly, but the next thing she knew Wakatoshi was resting his head on her shoulder. She smiles and wasted no time embracing him and stroking his back. 'I guess he's been more stressed than I thought.' She began to drag her nails across his back and play with his hair slightly. He seemed to enjoy it as he turned his face towards her neck. She was about to ask him if the exams have been stressing him out, but the took a deep breath. His exhale unintentionally caressed a sensitive spot on her neck. (Name) immediately became flustered at the pleasurable feeling and lunged backward. Wakatoshi looked up at her with questioning eyes. He began looking around to see if there was something that could have set her off.

"Is something wrong?" His low voice almost sent another shiver through her. She dug her nails into her palm.

"I-It's nothing just got startled by something, turns out it was nothing." Wakatoshi blinked at her before crawling closer to her again and placing a hand on her cheek.

"You're lying. Why?" She gave him a wry smile as she filled her lungs with a brave breath.

"Because it's kind of embarrassing to admit that when you breathed on my neck just then it hit a sensitive spot." She covered the spot on her neck as she blushed. He stared at her for a little bit before looking away as well.

"I apologize. I'll avoid that in the future." (Name) let a more natural smile grace her face as she slid her hand over the one Wakatoshi had on her face. She had an intense urge to lean in and give him the same pleasure, but she settled for gripping his hand.

"Y-You had no idea, it's okay!" she waved off his worry with her other hand. Her eyes became gentle as she gazed at him. Her beauty was mesmerizing to him. Everything she did began to invade his mind. The study sessions they had were difficult because he would end up being so close to her and began to have trouble paying attention to much else. He hated that he couldn't touch her as he wanted when in those groups, and he especially hated that feeling of jealousy he had towards Eita just now.

He wanted to officially make her his. He wanted to throw caution to the wind and be blunt with her. He wanted to satisfy his craving for her. He wanted to tell her everything.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep this secret from her.


	33. Group texts

The stadium bustles loudly with spectators and athletes alike. Some are gathered around boards to see where they stood, others were attempting to psych themselves up for the upcoming games. The chatter was sporadic and fluid with topics. Shirabu was watching the interactions between the head manager and the ace. After (K/Name) and Taichi told him of their intense love for one another, it was more than obvious. It was ridiculous. He gave (K/Name) a grimace and she only shook her head. Were they serious? They were just going to let this play out? He gives Taichi the same grimace. The middle blocker shrugs as a response. They totally were going to just let this happen.

(Name) was happily chatting away with her team when she looked up and saw a familiar face. The girl's grey eyes looked upset. She wore an all too familiar teal girls' volleyball uniform as she stared down (Name). (K/Name) noticed (Name) staring and followed her gaze before squeaking and jumping back. Satori and Taichi quickly turned their heads to investigate, spotting the staredown between the Aoba Johsai girl and (Name).

"Sh-Shirogane!" (K/Name) squeaked as she began to walk closer to the group. Her grey eyes didn't lift from (Name). The rest of the first and second years began to pay attention. The Aoba Johsai girl stopped right in front of (Name) with an intense look on her face. It wasn't her normal snide or sneaky look. It was dead serious and almost concerned.

"I need to talk to you. Alone." She demanded. (Name) narrowed her (E/C) eyes at the black-haired girl. "It's important."

"Shirogane, you realize I owe you nothing. I don't see a reason why-" (Name) was interrupted by the prideful girl bowing at the waist

"Please." (K/Name) gaped as she gripped Taichi's sleeve. This isn't like Shirogane at all. The Shirogane she knew would keep demanding and push until she got what she wanted, what was so important to make her beg like this?! Wakatoshi looked over at his manager and studied her face. She seemed surprised as well.

"Hey... (Name), isn't this the girl you told us about? Not exactly the nicest?" Leon whispered, and (Name) nodded.

"This isn't like her though... it has me kind of worried."

"Worried? Man (Name), you're too much of a bleeding heart, you know?" Satori teases, but she ignores it as she refocuses on her old rival.

"You all stay here." Shirogane perks up when she hears (Name) utter those words "I'll be right back." (Name) then hands (K/Name) the manager bag before motioning for Shirogane to lead the way. The girl nods and begins to walk in front.

Once she was out of hearing range, the boys began to plan.

"So who's gonna follow?" Eita turns and asks his fellow second years. Shirabu furrowed his brow and replies to Eita.

"She told us not to." Satori scoffs.

"You think we listen?" Leon nodded. Hayato let out a puff of air

"She has an uncanny 6th sense for any of the original first string second years. So it can't be me, Wakatoshi, Leon, Satori, or Eita."

"Taichi and I can't do it either. She has that same 6th sense." (K/name) gives a nervous smile as Taichi shook his head. Soekawa grimaces

"Thanks to Bench language, she knows when I'm looking at her..." There was only one person left. 8 pairs of eyes fell on Shirabu. He flinched at their sudden gaze.

"... are you serious?" (K/Name) gave him a pout. "Okay! Okay! I'm going! Jeez! Just quit making that face!" Shirabu began to jog off after (Name).

(Name) could feel the anxiety building in Shirogane as they walked together. Anxiety wasn't something that Shirogane was known for, and her lack of confidence worried (Name). Shirogane found a set of chairs lining a lobby. She sat down and waited for (Name) to sit with her.

"Shirogane. What did you want to talk to me about?" the black haired girl cast her silver gaze to the Golden Girl.

"Do you love Ushijima Wakatoshi?" (Name) jumped at her question. "If you do, please, just confess to him or something. It might not work, but if you confess and get together with Ushijima, I might be finally able to help Toru..." Shirogane laced her fingers together as she looked down.

"Toru?" (Name) dug deeper. This distress was uncharacteristic of Shirogane.

"Oikawa Toru! He plans on confessing to you to try and throw you and Ushijima off! He's trying to use your emotions against Ushijima in an attempt at victory, but I know it won't end well! I just want to help him! He's been pushing himself too hard! He's going to rip himself in half at this rate!" (Name) froze as she processed this information.

"Why..." She began "Why do you care so much for him?" She scanned Shirogane's face for any information at all. She took a deep breath

"My brother married his sister 9 years ago. Since then, we've been close." She informs "He's my brother-in-law, and I'm afraid of him hurting himself. I don't know how well my plan will work, but I think if you form some sort of steady relationship with Ushijima I'll finally be able to convince him to back off."

"Whoa whoa whoa! It's not just about me you know! Wakatoshi actually has to like me back!" (Name) protested against the Setter. Shirogane huffs

"Oh please, he does. Why else would Toru be this determined?" She crossed her arms as she stared (Name) down "He knows Ushijima has feelings for you. I know he has feelings for you. Please, I'm begging you." Shirogane uncrosses her arms and grabs (Name)'s hands and grips them tightly "just confess and see what happens. If he doesn't, great, I guarantee Toru would date you."

"That's-! Sh-Shirogane! I-" (Name) blushed as she sputtered out. "I'm not interested in Oikawa! I don't care if he would date me!"

"Huh. that's usually pretty reassuring to other girls I tell to confess." Shirogane stares at her blankly. (Name) fumes slightly.

"Ugh... when was Toru planning on 'confessing' to me?" (Name) asks as her hands are gripped tighter by Shirogane

"Originally it was going to be today, but since I stole you away it might be another day unless he finds you." Shirogane places their laced together hands down in her lap. (Name) bites her lip. "What can I do that will help you confess?"

"You're serious about me confessing to him, huh?" (Name) closes her eyes and smiles.

"I want to help Toru. You've become somewhat of an obsession for him. Mix his obsession of you with his obsession with a victory for his team, and we have a Toru that's been running himself ragged. His friend and I have been trying to get him to settle down, but it's becoming tougher the more attainable you are." (Name) huffs

"I'm not a prize..."

"I've told him that. He usually replies with 'You're right, she's a treasure!' or something like that in an attempt to make me feel better." Shirogane squeezes (Name)'s hands again "But do you see where I'm coming from? He's family, and I love him even if he's not my own blood. It hurts to see him torture himself like this."

"No, I do. I just..."

"Ushijima has feelings for you. Ask anyone on your team." Shirogane deadpans. (Name) looks to the side

"We're about to start the tournament. I don't want to fluster him."

"You think he'll get easily flustered?" Shirogane retorts

"We're in the middle of the stadium!"

"Then don't do it here! Wait 'til you get back to the school or something! I don't care! You just have to do it! The sooner the better!" Shirogane goes from gripping (Name)'s hands to gripping the Golden Girl's arms. "Please... I'm begging you." Shirogane bows her head. (Name) lets out a sigh.

**"... within the next 7 days, I'll confess to him."**

As Shirabu hid, he debated texting the others immediately after he heard that, but he decided against it. He began to think carefully about what he wanted to do next. He sighed. There was only one thing he could and wanted to do. He might get in trouble, but it was better than the alternative.

"Thank you. In the meantime, I'll try and keep Toru off your back. However, once you confess to Ushijima, Toru might still try something, but at least you'll have both your word and Ushijima's. He's emotionally compromised right now, so if he does try something, please be gentle." Shirogane lifts herself up out of the seat. "Oh, before I go," (Name) lifts her attention to the black haired girl once more "Whenever you come back to Volleyball... in whatever shape or form, I'll be waiting. I don't care what it is. If you come back to volleyball through beach volleyball or as an assistant coach to a little league team, I'll be waiting. I'll be waiting to compete against you again." The mercury eyes of the girl face elsewhere as she walks away from the Golden girl. (Name) watches as Shirogane disappears into the crowd. She sits for a bit and sighs. She didn't have any idea how she was going to confess to Wakatoshi. She was still very skeptical of Shirogane's words and didn't know whether to trust her at all. (Name) bit her lip as she thought about how Shirogane was acting. Her gestures were genuine, and her tone was sturdy.

"She's not lying about Ushijima-senpai liking you." A familiar voice called to her. (Name) shoots her head up to see Shirabu calmly walking towards her.

"Shirabu-kun!? I told you and the others to stay put!" (Name) became slightly aggravated.

"The others forced me to follow you. They wanted me to report back to them what I heard from your conversation," He snitched. "but I don't want to." His honesty quelled (Name)'s temper as he sat next to her.

"Why did they force you to follow?" She tilted her head at him.

"You apparently have a 6th sense for the rest of them." He states bluntly. She lifts her eyebrows briefly before nodding slightly, acknowledging his point.

"So why did you decide to reveal yourself? I'm sure you could be texting them with all of this." She raises a single eyebrow at the setter. He shrugs.

"Because I'd rather help you." (Name) widens her eyes at the boy. "What do you want me to text back to them." He takes out his phone and stares at her. She stared at the boy more before looking down.

"Can... Can I ask some questions first?" She asks nervously. He nods and puts his phone away. "So she wasn't lying?"

"No." He answers simply. He stares his motherly manager directly in the eye. "I was told by the others, but it's clear as day that he cares for you."

"S-So the others knew!?" (Name) flinches. Shirabu nods. "And they didn't tell me..." She sweats.

"Apparently they wanted to push you together in a more natural manner, but the second years have known of Ushijima's feelings for you since your first year." (Name) took a deep breath as a blush envelopes her face. Shirabu watched calmly as (Name) came to terms with the information she was being told.

"I'm surprised they kept him from just blurting out how he felt for over a year now..." She chuckled slightly. "But looking back, I've been kind of a dense idiot."

"You said it, not me," Shirabu replied in a joking manner. (Name) gave him a smile.

"So why do you want to help me?" Shirabu sighed as he fiddled slightly with the cuff of his jacket.

"I have preferences for people on the team. Of all of the people on the team, I enjoy two people the most. Ushijima-senpai is one of them," He paused as he blushed slightly and shifts his jaw. This was clearly not easy for him to admit. "But after what happened at the training camp, you also happen to be one of the people I prefer." He looks up at (Name) to see that a goofy happy look had graced her face. It was very similar to the face she made when he asked her for things. "... (Name)-senpai?" This kid was almost too much for her.

"Ah, sorry. You're a good kid, Shirabu-kun." She replies with a motherly smile gracing her face. He bit his lip as he took another deep breath

"...It's Kenjiro..." With that sentence, her heart exploded. He was letting her in. He wanted her to get closer. He wanted her to be doting and motherly. She quickly composed herself

"Got it, Kenjiro-kun!" She smiled

"... why are you crying?"

**Get Waka a date group chat**

**3:12 PM grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** (Name)'s fine. Shirogane or whatever tried to convince (L/Name)-senpai to come back to volleyball and leave us. Really pushing her to go through with the surgery.

**(grumpy fledgling Shirabu changed their name to Shirabu)**

**Shirabu:** And like hell my name's gonna be that in here.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** uh huh... that makes sense for Shirogane. She's got a lot of pride, probably still wants to beat (Name) herself

 **Telephone boy Soekawa:** is (name) on her way bck?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** I think she's thinking things through right now

**(grumpy fledgling Shirabu changed their name to Shirabu)**

**Shirabu:** I said NO.

 **Not Benkei Leon:** Should we send Wakatoshi?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** I think that might be suspicious, plus she said not to follow.

**(grumpy fledgling Shirabu changed their name to Shirabu)**

**Shirabu:** STOP DOING THAT!

 **Other momma bird Eita:** you've got a point. so what's the plan for now?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** I recommend just waiting for her to come back.

**(grumpy fledgling Shirabu changed their name to Shirabu)**

**Shirabu:** WHO KEEPS DOING THAT?!

 **Big bro Taichi:** I have a guess...

 **** **Guess who:** hm? watcha trying to imply tai? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Shirabu groaned as he stuck his phone in his pocket. (Name) had finally got herself to stop crying (Even though she denied that she was even crying in the first place) and was thinking of a plan.

"Sent what you told me to," he tells her as she looks up at him. She smiles.

"Good, now I just gotta think of a plan to confess to Wakatoshi within the next 7 days..." She sighs and looks down again. How was she going to pull off that?

"Well, as I said, I'd rather help you. Anything I can do to assist, let me know." (Name) nodded.

"Well, I think saving confessions for the end of the tournament is the better idea right now. If he's in love with me like you said, a confession could either throw him off or boost his morale. I'm not willing to risk the former." (Name) thought as she placed a hand on her chin. "Kenjiro-kun, could you text the other first years?"

**First years only *TOP SECRET***

**3:46 PM** **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** (K/Name), I need you to make me a promise.

 **** **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** Oh my god I give up.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** sure, we can make a promise!

 **Big bro Taichi:** Uh... dude, remember what I told you? Might not be a good idea...

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** I know what I'm doing.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** So what's the promise? (V●ᴥ●V)

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** The information I am about to tell you is NOT to get to the second years in any way shape or form. You are to promise me that you will NOT tell them by texting, writing, word of mouth, or through another person. Any form of communication of this information to the second years violates the promise. You are to keep Kawanishi from telling them through all the aforementioned methods as well. None of the second years are to look over your shoulder while you or Kawanishi texts EITHER. You are to guard it with your life. This promise applies to EVERYTHING IN THIS GROUP CHAT. Are we clear?

 **** **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** ... you really aren't leaving me a lot of holes here, are you?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** absolutely not. Are you promising me? Making this promise is the only way you're getting this info.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** ... I don't have much else of a choice. You've managed to make this airtight... must be important.

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** it is.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** Okay, I promise. I'll keep Taichi from spilling too.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** making promises with you is no fun ʕ – (oo) – ʔ

 **Big bro Taichi:** omfg... con-fucking-grats.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** so what's the intel?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** I told (Name) everything. She knows Ushijima-senpai's in love with her. I approached her after Shirogane was done talking to her.

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** YYOU TOLD HER?!

 **Big bro Taichi:** (K/Name)'s probably got a kick to the shins waiting for you dude.

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** (Name)'s with me. Neither of you can't lay a finger on me.

 **Big bro Taichi:** senpai snitch protection program... damn

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** ugh... is there anything else we need to know?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** Shirogane did say she wanted to compete with (Name) again, but that wasn't why she approached her. Shirogane informed (Name) of a plan a rival setter, Oikawa, was going to execute.

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** Oikawa is planning on confessing to (Name) himself in front of Ushijima in an attempt to throw them both off emotionally to try and get an upper hand. Oikawa is Shirogane's brother-in-law apparently, and she's worried for him, which is why she told (Name). Shirogane wants (Name) to confess to Ushijima-senpai. Shirogane believes that if (Name) and Ushijima-senpai become an item, she can snap her brother out of whatever stupor he's gotten himself into.

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** (Name) plans on confessing to Ushijima-senpai within the next 7 days. She wants our help.

 **Big bro Taichi:** k, why us? Wouldn't the second years be better?

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** She has her reasons. For now, you both are on this team with me. She plans on confessing after the tournament is over but before nationals. We need to watch out for Oikawa

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** uhuh, taht's probably why she wanted us, the second years are aggressively protective of (Name)-senpai

 **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** probably. We are to wait for further instruction from (Name), but does everyone understand so far?

 **Big bro Taichi:** uuuughhh why did you have to drag me into this?

 **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** eyaaaa, I got it. You're no fun to make promises with Shirabuuuuuu

Shirabu placed his phone away once more as he looked up at his senior. She had been quietly watching over his shoulder and surveying his talks with the other first years.

"Nice going on that promise. I don't think (K/Name) can find holes in that."

"Thanks, after you and Kawanishi warned me about her I began to think of all the ways she could find holes," he replies with a slight smile. He was beginning to understand why the others loved to be praised by her so often. It felt rewarding. 'Like a mother...' (Name) then lifted herself out of the chair and stretched a little

"Alright, well, for now, I'm sending you back. I'll head back after a few," Shirabu nods and obeys her.

"I'll see you back with the others then." He then jogs off to rejoin the others. As he disappears into the crowd, (Name) takes a deep breath. She lets the blush she was holding back engulf her face as she covered her face and let out an excited squeak.

'H-He does like me! Wakatoshi likes me!' a smile creeps its way past the blush. She could cry tears of joy at that moment. 'Ah, get it together (Name), I know you're in love, but get it together!' she began patting her cheeks and taking deeper breaths as she closed her eyes. 'How am I going to confess to him though... I want it to be romantic but...' She slouched a bit 'I'm not really good at that kind of stuff...' As she began to think more, a feeling began to build inside her. Intuition. 'Something's up... but I can't put my finger on it...' she began to look around in an attempt to find the source of her uneasiness. 'It's not Oikawa, he would have done something by now.' As she searched the surrounding area she found the source of her unease.

"GEH?!"


	34. Lost Child

"Ah, Shirabu, you're back." Eita greeted the first year Setter. The first year nods as a response and immediately focuses elsewhere, pissing off the second year setter. (K/Name) and Taichi carefully observed the first year squad ringleader. They were looking for any sign of action needing to take place, but Shirabu stood firm.

"Is (Name) coming back soon?" Leon asks as he keeps a careful eye on Wakatoshi. Wakatoshi had been anxious the entire time and he wanted to see (Name) again. Leon had put himself in charge of making sure he didn't just run off and find (Name).

"She should be. I don't see a reason she would spend more time contemplating what Shirogane said." Wakatoshi seemed to calm down after hearing that (Name) would be back soon. The rest of the second years sweat at his obvious change in demeanor. "Have the third years come back?" Shirabu questions as he notices the distinct lack of overly pompous volleyball players.

"Apparently our game has been rescheduled to be in about an hour, so the coach gave us time to ourselves." (K/name) explains to him.

"We decided to wait here until (Name) got back," Soekawa mentions before feeling like he was being watched. "Ah! Speak of the dehhhh....." the rest of the team quickly turns to see (Name) standing there with a casual look on her face. Small hands clung to her jacket as big eyes spilled salty liquid onto her shoulder. A tiny voice was hiccuping from what they could only assume was from crying.

(Name) was back, but she somehow managed to pick up a 5-year-old in the process. The entire team gawks at (Name) as she came closer.

"Hey," were the first words out of her mouth, and sounded as if she wasn't carrying a kid.

"... (Name), why do you have a child?" Leon was the first to ask as the young girl pushed her face further into (Name)'s shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay Kiki, you're okay, they're friends" (Name) begins to soothe before directing her attention to her team. "She was lost and approached me. I couldn't just leave her." (Name) explains as the little girl begins to calm down again.

"... (Name), the game's been pushed back, but what if we still had to play in 15 minutes?" Eita began his argument. (Name) shrugged

"You have (K/name), she'd be fine." (Name) waved off nonchalantly. Eita rolls his head back and groans slightly. Satori became slightly excited at the thought of having (K/Name) on the bench, but one quick look at Wakatoshi was all it took to quickly kill the fantasy. He clearly didn't like the suggestion (Name) had made, and probably would have started a worry war with her if she wasn't on the bench. A war that she would probably win. "Anyways, I'm going to help Kiki find her sister. You guys can join if you want, but I'm not leaving Kiki anywhere alone." (Name) stood firmly as Kiki began rubbing her eyes. A sigh could be heard from Wakatoshi as he approached (Name). Kiki immediately notices the huge boy coming closer and clutches (Name)'s track jacket once more. (Name) quickly goes to soothe the girl. "Shh! Shhh, Kiki, look, he's wearing the same jacket as I do, look! We're friends! He's going to help us, right?" Wakatoshi nods as Kiki slowly lifts her head to look at the large volleyball player. "She's very skittish, so please be gentle near her." (Name) directs her attention at the other volleyball players before they all let out a sigh.

"If Kiki is skittish, maybe only some of us should come with." Leon began to set up Wakatoshi and (Name) to be alone together out of habit. "The rest of us can keep an eye out. I can imagine her sister isn't going to leave the stadium without the child." Eita was quick to catch on.

"Satori, Leon, and Shirabu should stay here." all three boys flinch. Shirabu had no qualms with this, but he had a hunch as to why Eita thought he shouldn't go with (Name). "Unfortunately, whether it be the size of your bodies or just the pure energy you put out, you might scare Kiki further." Leon let out a sigh while Satori grimaced.

"Wakatoshi might also be scary then," (Name) pointed out. Eita's mind began to race as he tried to think of a way around (Name)'s motherly reasoning and concern.

"He's the tallest though. If Kiki sat on his shoulders then she might be able to find her caretakers even in a larger crowd." Soekawa quickly added. (Name) didn't acknowledge it, but she saw the proud glint in Eita and Hayato's eyes after Soekawa came up with that excuse. Kenjiro was right. All of her fellow second years were in on setting Wakatoshi up with her. She took a deep breath through her nose. The first years were very aware of her subtle calming tactic and began to scan the second years to see if they had noticed. None of them had. The only second year that showed some potential was Leon, but he was too busy concerning himself with helping his ace.

"Ah, I have a confession." (K/Name) bows her head slightly. "I probably shouldn't come with you (Name)-senpai... I'm terrible with kids. I have no idea what to do with them." Kenjiro quickly whips his head to his first-year accomplice.

"You literally date the man-child of the team." He gestures to Satori "How are you not good with children?! You have experience!" Satori flinched at Kenjiro's harsh words. (Name) and Taichi couldn't help but let out a snort. He wasn't wrong.

"That's differeeeeeeent! And we've been over this! We-we're technically not dating yet!" (K/Name) whined at him.

"Oh my god, (K/NAME)!" Kenjiro threw his head back.

"Shirabuuu!" Second years watch in awe as (K/name) had an outburst. Satori's face lit up at her cute whine. Kiki stopped crying as she watched the childish manager and Setter pout at each other.

"Aren't they funny Kiki?" (Name) questions as she bounces the child a little. A smile spreads on the little girl's face as she watches the Golden girl's gentle expression morph into a happy one. The 5-year-old nods as she begins to giggle along with the motherly manager. Wakatoshi felt restless as he watched the scene. He wanted nothing more than to embrace his manager and kiss her temple. (Name) wasn't paying attention, but Wakatoshi was unabashedly staring at her. His expression became softer as he took in everything. Leon, Eita, and Soekawa began to wave frantically at him to stop. Their desperate gestures were just out of (Name)'s line of sight, but right in Wakatoshi's. Kiki almost gave them away because she started laughing at them. Their panicked faces must have been hilarious to her because she only laughed harder. "What's up, Kiki?" the little girl only continued to laugh "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad you're doing better now." (Name)'s full attention was on Kiki. Wakatoshi finally managed to snap out of his infatuation after Satori gave him a swift slap on his back.

Kenjiro and (K/Name) stopped bickering to give an exasperated sigh at how Wakatoshi managed to pull that shit for a whole year without (Name) noticing. Taichi only shook his head.

"So is anyone else going to join the two of them?" Taichi lazily asked. "The fewer people they have with them, the easier they can make it through a crowd." He reasoned.

"I think we should be enough." (Name) said assertively. She looked at her first years and mouthed the words 'Group chat' to them. Kenjiro nods as he begins to play with his phone in his pocket. (K/Name) and Taichi glanced at one another before letting out a sigh. Hopefully, the two of them didn't run into Oikawa.

"Okay Kiki, let me know if you see big sis, okay?" (Name) asked as she bounced the child slightly. She decided that holding Kiki was the best way to let the child see her surroundings. Wakatoshi stuck close to (Name)'s side as they looked around.

"Okay," Kiki babbled slightly as she placed a tiny hand on (Name)'s cheek. The motherly manager gave a gentle smile back to the child.

Wakatoshi, on the other hand, had no idea what to do and was awkward. He had impulsively said he would accompany (Name) out of habit and concern. He didn't want to be apart from her for any longer, and it ended up costing him.

"You've been quiet Wakatoshi, is everything alright?" (Name) questioned him with slightly reddened cheeks. He looks over at her and nods.

"I do not wish to frighten Kiki. Unfortunately, I have no experience with young children. I have no idea what I'm doing." He admits to her. There was no point in keeping it hidden from her. (Name) felt her heart swell with his honesty. He was too cute.

"Mm, I see." (Name) replies as she supports Kiki with one hand. "I guess the key is to understand that you gotta be gentle. Roll with what the kid wants to do, but that doesn't mean you let them walk all over you." Kiki then focuses her attention on Wakatoshi. His straight face breaks slightly as she tilts her head at him. (Name) smiles at Kiki's curiosity.

"Hello." He greets flatly. Kiki laughs. Was what he said really that funny? He gave a slightly confused look to (Name), but she shrugged.

"It can be like that." (Name) replied to the tall ace. Kiki was now completely enthralled with Wakatoshi. "Do you like Wakatoshi?" (Name) asked the little brunette girl. Her eyes glittered

"He's tall!" She replies to (Name). She hums and nods at the child. "How tall are you?" Wakatoshi flinches slightly. He didn't expect the child to warm up that quickly.

"I was 188.6 cm the last time we measured, correct?" Wakatoshi asked his manager. She nods. Kiki's eyes lit up.

"Taaaaaall!" (Name) let out a giggle as the once meek little girl showed her more adventurous side.

"Yup, he plays Volleyball, Kiki." Kiki looks up once again at Wakatoshi. Her eyes study the tall boy once again.

"Big sister plays volleyball!" She exclaimed excitedly. She then pouts slightly "She's short though. She never hits the ball."

"She must be a libero then. She is still a very important member of the team. Without her, a team's defense would be weak." Wakatoshi says plainly. He was only speaking what he knew to be true, but it seemed to mean everything to the little girl in (Name)'s arms.

"Really?" (Name) smiled as Kiki leaned closer to the tall ace. With the amount Kiki was leaning, (Name) began to have trouble holding the child.

"Kiki, do you want to be held by Waka-kun?" (Name) asked in a sweet tone. Wakatoshi blinks blankly at (Name), but hearing his name being shortened into a pet name without malice was incredibly satisfying. Her sweet tone was the icing on the cake, and the movement of her dewy lips was almost too much. If it weren't for Kiki affirming that she indeed did want to be held by him, he might have done something rash. "Are you okay with that, Wakatoshi?" hearing his given name without nicknames from (Name) was incredible as well, but at least he was more used to it. He nodded at his manager, taking the child from her deceivingly strong hands.

"I was worried about your knee. Holding Kiki didn't aggravate it, did it?" Wakatoshi quickly adjusts to hold the child. He had observed how (Name) had been holding her and quickly imitated her.

"Nah, Kiki's light. I'm just fine, Wakatoshi." She gave him a sweet look. Wakatoshi's smile was small, but it was enough for (Name) to know it was there. 'Man how was I this oblivious! Kenjiro was right!' She internally scolds herself for being that stupid. Her phone buzzed in her pocket before she glanced at the screen.

**TOP SECRET (NAME)-SENPAI HELPER SQUAD**

**4:32 pm** **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** What's happening?

 **Momma bird (Name):** Kiki's now being held by Wakatoshi, and I'm wondering how I missed all of his obvious signs.

 **** **━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟMagical girl (k/name):** we all r ʕ⊙ᴥ⊙ʔ

 **** **Momma bird (Name):** Should I be doing anythign?

 **** **Big bro Taichi:** for right now you should just be avoiding oiks. kinda awk to try anythin with a kid there

 **** **Momma bird (Name):** What about after?

(Name) looks up at Wakatoshi only for her heart to nearly explode. Wakatoshi was smiling at Kiki as she babbled to him. Not only was he smiling, but he was encouraging her aimless conversation.

"Kei-nee said she'd teach me how to play one day too! But I want to go like wapow!"

"Is that so?" Wakatoshi replied with a gentle flat tone. Did this man really have no experience with children?!

'When can I marry this man?!' (Name) clutched her heart as she proceeded to ignore incoming texts to watch as this man continued to keep up a conversation with Kiki. He seemed to be growing attached.

After walking around in circles, a panicked girl sprinted towards them.

"KIKI!!" She screams as her arms open wide.

"Kei-nee!" the small girl reached out to the girl clad in pinks and white. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Tears had not stopped rolling down her face as she stops in front of Wakatoshi.

"Oh my god WHERE DID YOU GO!! You were supposed to stay with big sister Wakana! Do you know how worried I was!" the brown-haired girl known as 'Kei-nee' began crying again.

"Ah! So you must be Kiki's big sister," (Name) says as she attempted to calm down the volleyball player.

"Yes, I'm Keiko. You're the one who found Kiki, right? Thank you! She looks safe, oh my god, she just wanders off sometimes and I just lose her, I'm such a bad older sister, I can't even keep trackofafiveyearoldyoumusthinkI'mawfulandyou'dberightI'm-" The distressed girl began to ramble as she gripped (Name)'s shoulders. (Name) sweat as she held her hands up in an attempt to soothe Keiko's panic.

"It's okay Kei-nee! Waka-nii and (Name)-nee were with me!" Kiki waved at her older sister. Keiko crumpled to the ground as she bowed her head.

"THANK YOU BOTH. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HER." (Name) flinched as she began to try and soothe the libero again.

"Look! It's okay! We're just glad we found you." (Name) attempted to calm Keiko once more. "But you said this happens often? That's kind of concerning." (Name)'s mom mode began to seep through once more. She was expecting to be the only one, but she felt Wakatoshi's protective energy as well. (Name) glanced back and nearly choked. He looked very mature. His hands were protective of the small child he claimed to have no prior experience with. He was fatherly. (Name)'s heart fluttered, but she quickly focused forward again.

"Yeah, I need to keep a better eye on her..." The brunette rubbed her arm. Kiki began to reach out for the brown-haired girl. Wakatoshi reluctantly abided by Kiki's request and returned the young girl to her sister.

"Can we watch them play Kei-nee?" Kiki asks as she settles in her older sister's arms. Her older sister smiles as she rubs the back of her neck.

"If you promise not to slip off again and stay with Wakana-nee!" Keiko was bad with scolding and Kiki giggled. She sighs as she looks up at (Name) and Wakatoshi again. "Thanks so much again, I guess since Kiki likes you, we'll be cheering." Keiko adjusts Kiki so that she was more comfortable "Strange though, Kiki usually is super shy. You guys must be super comforting for her then. You'll probably make good parents one day, Haha!" the libero turns away from the now blushing couple. They hadn't even gotten the chance to say 'I like you,' let alone 'I want to have children with you.' the pink-clad girl began to jog off as Kiki waved goodbye "Thanks again! I'm forever in your debt!"

(Name) let a smile grace her face as she glances up at Wakatoshi. She softens her eyes as he looks back. His lips were slightly parted as he stared at her. She wanted to just give in and confess everything right there, but she knew it was better to wait.

"Let's head back to the others. Our game is in about 15 minutes." she indulged herself by running a hand up his arm and gripped his shoulder slightly. He stiffened at her touch but eased into it as she ran her hand back down. He nodded before feeling her squeeze his hand and walk ahead. It was a brave gesture that she would never have attempted before knowing Wakatoshi's feelings towards her. Wakatoshi's heart raced before he began to follow her.

Off in the distance, desperate feminine hands gripped and restrained a teal-clad brunette. This was his chance. This was a perfect chance. He needed to tell her. He was right there too.

"Toru! Come on! You said you'd watch my game!" A familiar silver-eyed Setter fought against an even stronger Setter.

"But Tomoe-chaaan! You're ruining my big moment to shine! She's right there!" He fought harder against his sister-in-law.

"Bu-but Toru! My game!" Shirogane was starting to panic. (Name) was just barely out of reach. 'Come on, you were never this slow on the court, Golden girl!'

"I'll be 5 minutes! I pro-" He was cut off by a fist hitting the back of his head.

"Like hell you are! You promised Shirogane you'd be there from the beginning, and the beginning is now! LET'S. GO. SHITTYKAWA!" A very angry Iwaizumi grabbed Oikawa's other arm and dragged him away with Shirogane. The once ferocious hyena let out a sigh of relief before looking back at (Name) once again.

'Come on you damn eagle, he's right in the palm of your hand. I don't know how long I can keep Toru off of you...'


	35. The King and the Eagle

"I'm glad that Kiki made it back to her sister." Leon smiles as his back was being pressed by (Name). Her other hand was on Wakatoshi's back.

"Yup. Keiko seemed very grateful." (Name) took back her hands to allow them to sit upright. "Kiki said she wanted to watch one of our games, so there may be a five-year-old in the crowd at some point," (Name)'s laugh made Wakatoshi tense up slightly. He turned his head to her and observed her smiling face. She noticed and softened her features just for him. His eyebrows raised slightly, not enough for anyone else to glean any emotions from it but (Name) saw everything. She was slowly building up the courage to tell him how she felt, and she was beginning to form a plan. The two first years that were there looked on and began formulating a plan as well. Once their third accomplice returned even more brainstorming began.

"Well, she's become even more obvious. Do you think he's caught on?"

"Absolutely not." (K/Name) says with a pout.

"Wow, blunt," Kenjiro says flatly. "When did you get huffy? Are you hungry or something?" (K/Name) gave him a slight glare but refocused.

"(K/Name) start wrapping my fingers so the seniors look away." Taichi rushed. (K/Name) grumpily obliged. "Shirabu, do the same."

"Nope. If it's not (Name), I'm wrapping them myself." Kenjiro sasses while he crosses his arms. Taichi didn't bat an eye

"Whatever, we have 7 days, let's cut it down to 3. Our games are all over after that 3rd day, and most likely Oikawa will get desperate on that 3rd day. His retainers are Shirogane and that Iwaizumi. They've known him for a long time, but he's known them for a long time too." Shirabu catches on to Taichi's train of thought

"Meaning they know his go-to tactics, but that also means he knows how they handle them too."

"Even match" (K/Name) adds as she tears the medical tape and begins wrapping another one of Taichi's fingers.

"(Name)-senpai said that she doesn't want to throw off Ushijima-senpai with a confession, so it has to be after the finals." Kenjiro continues. "Oikawa could either get thrown off and stop trying because there's no point, or he could continue his pursuit to try and affect Ushijima-senpai's flow for finals."

"If he's anything like his sister-in-law, he's petty" (K/Name) adds with soft irony. Kenjiro was quick to realize it and was about to contribute sass.

"He's petty alright." (Name) suddenly interject as she interrupts the brainstorm. She held a roll of medical tape in her hands. "Kenjiro, do you want me to wrap your fingers?" his hands immediately lift from his side. (Name) smiles proudly and her eyes light up as she begins to unwind the tape.

"So he'll continue even after finals." Kenjiro begins as (Name) delicately wraps his fingers. (Name) begins to feel eyes.

"(K/Name), attention is on us, go help Satori." (K/Name) grimaced "Now." (Name) became stern as (K/Name) pouts and walks away.

"We're giving you 3 days," Taichi informs as he tests his fingers individually by bending them.

"3 days including today or 3 days starting tomorrow," (Name) panicked slightly as she looked at the 2 first-year boys with fearful eyes.

"Any day we have a game is counted as a day," (Name) tucks in her lips and bites them.

"Ah... makes sense."

"So you can't do it anytime in those 3 days either. We have a tight window."

"Right..." (Name) sighs as she looks over at her second years. "So you both have a minute and a half starting now, whatcha got for the time being?"

"We need a time where you're fully alone, a lure, and at least 15 minutes with him." Taichi fills in. (Name) smiles as she finishes up wrapping Kenjiro's fingers. She was glad that she had the geniuses of the team on her side. She patted both their backs and strides over to Wakatoshi to do a final before-game check.

  
The next day, (Name) lugged a big bag from the bus, scaring Wakatoshi slightly. He began watching her knee as she carried the bulky lunches.

"Oh no, he's zoning in," Soekawa informs before Hayato whips his head around. "What do we do?"

"Um..." Hayato floundered. He knew Wakatoshi might start a worry war here.

"I might be going out on a limb here, but what if we let him." Soekawa watched from afar as Wakatoshi walked towards (Name). "Please don't argue, don't argue, don't argue, don't argue" Soekawa mutters to himself as he watches carefully.

"Your muttering doesn't instill confidence..." The libero sweats as he turns to the pinch serve.

"Is that too heavy?" He questioned as he gestured the large bag. (Name) quickly looked up at the concerned boy. Wheels began to turn.

Lure and bait.

"I've got it. It won't be heavy all day, and I only have to carry it to the locker rooms." (Name) smiled at him. She began to feel her knee acting up, but ignored it.

"You've been carrying a lot recently. Your knee may begin to hurt again." Wakatoshi reached for the bag, but (Name) backed up.

"You have 3 games today. I get to sit on the bench for most of those games. I'll be fine." (Name) smiled as she lightly argued with him. "You, however, need to preserve your strength for the games." Hayato and Soekawa grimaced,

"Nope, it's a worry war," Hayato says before alerting the attention of Eita and Leon. They both look over with a hopeful face, expecting some good progress, only to be disappointed with the concerned quarrel.

The night before they had given Wakatoshi some tips, but he was forgetting all of them and going straight to his old habits.

_"Okay, Wakatoshi-kun, (Name)'s probably going to be carrying a lot tomorrow." Eita begins as he subtly pats his downtrodden roommate's back. "You need to... not be overbearingly worried about every move she makes." Leon, Hayato, and Soekawa nod._

_"Her knee pain hasn't been getting better. Her braces have, but not the pain itself."_

_"Hasn't it been less frequent thought? Just, calm down a little, okay?" Soekawa attempted to use reason. He knew how to manipulate Wakatoshi slightly, but only thanks to him staring a hole in the back of his head every time he studies or chats with (Name). He quickly had to find a way of not only calming the tall ace but to help him along with his relationship as well. "She's strong, and you know she doesn't want to be looked down upon."_

_"Right," Wakatoshi said with a slight smile. Satori immediately shot up and began poking at the ace's face and teased that he was showing emotion._

'Well, my advice was thrown out quicker than I thought...' Soekawa sighs before noticing something off with how (Name) was reacting. She didn't seem as peeved as she normally would be when Wakatoshi started something like this.

"Fine. I'll go put these away right now so you don't have to worry about them anymore." (Name) suggested as his smile became genuine. Leon caught on as well. Something was suspicious. "(K/Name), grab the water bottles. We're going to the locker rooms." (K/Name) jumped as she looked up red-faced. She had been talking to Satori. "We'll fill them on our way back."

"Coming!" (K/name) called as she began to walk after (Name), but not after Satori got in a quick kiss on the cheek before running to the gym he and the team were supposed to be in. He managed to grab Eita on the way. Eita was caught off guard and was dragged on the ground for a couple of feet.

"DUDE! What the heck! I'm not getting caught up in your stupid-" Leon, Soekawa, and Hayato watched on before they looked at each other.

"Where are you two going?" Soekawa quickly questioned the motives of the remaining first-years. He knew he was right in the firing range of a snarky comment or a jab, but both boys were surprisingly subdued.

"Bathroom," they say in unison as they continue to walk away. Soekawa stands for a few minutes before making sure they wouldn't notice.

The locker room was surprisingly clean. The metal lockboxes sat evenly in a row with a long wooden bench dividing the middle. (K/Name) had set the water bottles down on one end of the bench next to the bag of food. After seating themselves, Taichi and Kenjiro walk in.

"Oh good, you caught onto what I was thinking." (Name) smiles at her genius first-years. She was glad that she had them as her helpers.

"You went way too easy on Ushijima-senpai." Taichi began as he studied (K/Name). Kenjiro began shaking his head slightly as he tried to please (Name).

"Well, we're all here," (Name) gestures for her juniors to sit down before standing up. "So, as you all saw, Wakatoshi-kun had a bit of a meltdown." (Name) then observed her juniors hesitantly nod. "SO! You said I needed bait?"

"Yes, we need bait, and 15 minutes alone after the finals." Taichi nodded as be began to try and snap (K/Name) out of the daze she was in. Kenjiro noticed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I have your bait, and I have your 15 minutes alone." (Name) says proudly. "After the finals, everyone usually picks up their own things from the locker rooms, but things are always forgotten. Hayato's phone for example." a pause filled the room before (Name) quickly checked Hayato's and the surrounding lockers to see if he left his phone. He didn't this time, but (Name) had a hunch he would at some point. "Anyways, we need an excuse to get Wakatoshi-kun alone in here with me."

"And you think something like the heavy bag incident will draw him in?" Kenjiro asked as he began thinking ahead of (Name).

"Absolutely." (Name) sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Wakatoshi was right. The bag that I lugged all the way here was slightly too much on my knee. I know it's going to hurt tomorrow." She put her hands on her waist. "And without a doubt, Wakatoshi will know it's hurting tomorrow. He always knows." (Name) blushed slightly as she thought of his comforting methods. "We need something heavy enough to warrant him to come down and help me."

"A bag will probably do." (K/Name) had finally composed herself and was listening in. "It's just that our bags aren't super heavy."

"Then we'll make a heavy bag. Shirabu, what tests do you have coming up?"

"Only thing I can think of is English." (K/Name) nodded.

"So we need to bring our English textbooks and some study material." (Name) smiled as her juniors began to fully flesh out the plan.

"So that's what's going on." A familiar voice called to the quartet. Each flinches as they look up to the door.

Soekawa had followed them.

"So you're planning a confession, (L/Name)?" Soekawa lets himself into the locker room and closes the door behind him.

"Soekawa, what are you doing here?" (Name) questioned him as her juniors kept silent.

"I followed Kawanishi and Shirabu. You and (K/Name) were acting odd, too." He informed the group. "So you're planning a confession?" (Name) sighed. This wasn't exactly the plan.

"Uhhhh..."

"And the first-years are helping you..." Soekawa squinted "did Shirabu tell you about Ushijima?"

"WHAT?!" Kenjiro shot up and stared at his senior

"Thought so. I was wondering why you all began acting weird" Soekawa continues. "The other second years are too busy helping Ushijima whenever they can, and while I want to help him too, I couldn't help but notice you all. I followed my gut and here we are." he sighs with a smile.

"Well, you're right. We're planning a confession, and Shirabu did tell me." (Name) walked towards Soekawa slightly "I had Shirabu lie to your group chat and gathered the aid of the first-years." (Name) admits "It's true that Shirogane wanted to compete with me in whatever I do, wherever I go, and whenever I'm ready, but it's not all she told me." (Name) then proceeded to tell Soekawa everything as the first years looked on silently.

"Ah, I see." He took a deep breath before looking up and taking everything that (Name) had said. It made sense why she wouldn't go to the second years immediately. They had their hands full with Ushijima. "So when is this confession?"

"Tomorrow. After finals." (Name) filled in. "I plan on luring Wakatoshi here with the forgotten bags of the first years. Once here, I'll confess to him." Soekawa nodded.

"I'll help however I can," He gives (Name) a smile and nods at her. "I can't say I'll be much of help since I'm coming in so late, but I'll help."

"You can help by keeping this all secret." (Name) gestures at the general room. "I need this to be flawless, so just keep it a secret, okay?" (Name) looked up at the clock before realizing that they needed to leave before Wakatoshi went looking for her. "Alright, I'll text the first years more details, but I think everything is in place. Let's get back before it gets to be even more suspicious."

Later that night, (Name) prepared for the finals. She re-counted the calorie mates and made sure to pack extra drink mix. She took a deep breath as she looked over at her phone. Wakatoshi had been checking up on her for the majority of her prep time, and it made her smile. He was overprotective and somewhat oblivious, but it was sweet. It was cute.

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." She looked out a nearby window and smiles. "But if the feeling's mutual, then I have nothing to worry about." (Name) smiled. It felt right. This was meant to happen.

She didn't get much sleep that night.

The next day was controlled chaos. (Name) had some benchwarmers to direct and each was hell to work with. It wasn't that they were rude or malicious, it's just that they didn't understand the way she and (K/Name) did things.

At least (K/Name) seems to be in a better mood today. It gave (Name) one less thing to worry about. She sighed before feeling eyes on her. She was in a hallway with some of the benchwarmers, so she wasn't alone, but the stare made her anxious. She looked towards the source to see a familiar setter with a teal jersey. His smile widened once she looked at him. (Name) took a worried breath. If he tries something right now, the entire plan is out the window. He was about to walk forward and approach her, but a hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

(Name) had never been happier to see Shirogane before in her life.

"Eh? Tomoe! I have something I want to say to (Name)!"

"You have to stretch though! Iwaizumi is going to be here any minute to tell you the same thing, but I'm saying it nicer than he will," (Name) takes this chance to slip away and continue guiding the benchwarmers step by step through what she does. Oikawa clicks his tongue.

(Name) sat on the bench in between coach Saito and coach Washijo like always. Everything was normal, Wakatoshi was in peak condition, and Soekawa's translations were accurate. Kenjiro's tosses were steady, and Satori seemed to be performing at 120%. Everything was perfect. She smiled as the game went on, but something didn't feel right. She shook it off as game anxiety and continued to focus forward.

Once the game was over, Soekawa was visibly jittery. Nationals were expected, but he seemed a little more amped up than usual.

"Everything okay Soekawa?" Leon questioned as he packed up his bag.

"Ah, Erm, eyah! Don't worry about me! I'll be on the bus!" He glanced at Wakatoshi before rushing out and heading towards the bus. On his way, he passed (Name). He quickly gestures to her, indicating that the others are almost done. She nodded and laughed slightly at Soekawa's jitters. He must not like keeping too many secrets, he seemed so cool yesterday, however. He must have realized somewhere in the night that this was actually happening.

A little while later, (Name) was doing her final checks. She took a deep breath as her heart began to grate against her ribs. Her once calm and steady breathing became slightly ragged as she struggled for air. The moment had finally come. It was finally time to keep her word with Shirogane and tell him. It was finally time to tell him how she felt. Even though she knew he felt the same, fear still planted her feet like brambles as they scratched and picked at her courage. She finally composed herself as she ripped her feet from the floor and began making her way down to where (K/Name) and Shirabu had conveniently forgotten their things. Her phone was tightly clenched in her hand as her shaky thumb finally pressed the call button. She took a deep breath through her nose before placing the electronic device to her ear and forced a smile. She was terrified, but she wanted to do this badly.

 **"(Name)? Is something wrong?"** A familiar deep voice asked her in a very subtle worried tone. Her forced smile turned genuine.

"I'm okay Wakatoshi, it's just that my knee is hurting a little more than I thought, and all 3 first years forgot their bags. I can get them, but-" Her sentence was quickly cut off

 **"I'm on my way."** The line suddenly went dead as she entered the locker room. She giggles slightly as her stomach began to do flips and flops. It was finally happening. After being in love with him for almost a year she was finally going to tell him.

She pushes the door further as she slides her phone into her pocket. She lets herself in and goes straight to where the first years said their bags would be. She takes each one out individually and placed them on the ground. As she does so, she notices Hayato's phone underneath Taichi's bag. She sighs as it begins to buzz. She picks up the phone and answers it

"Hayato, don't worry, I found it. I'll bring it back with me."

**"Oh thank god. Thanks (Name)! By the way, Wakatoshi left in a hurry, what was that about?"**

"Oh, just some things. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

 **"Alright, See- HEY! Shirabu what the FU-"** violent shuffling and wind hit the microphone of the phone as it changed hands. The phone must have been forcefully taken from Hayato.

 **"Be careful. I saw Shirogane without Oikawa. Iwaizumi was with her too."** A familiar voice whispered. **"Ushijima-senpai is on his way, though."** (Name) smiles as she shook her head. This was without a doubt, Kenjiro.

"Okay, I'll keep a lookout. In the meantime, you all get prepared to leave. I have your bags."

 **"Right. Thank you."** the phone was suddenly hung up. (Name) sighed as she slid Hayato's phone into her other pocket. She turned her attention back to the bags as she reached for the last of them. The small, cutesy backpack had all sorts of trinkets and buttons decorating it, adorning it with mascots and characters from anime. (Name) smiled at one of the worn-out buttons on the bag that had a pink volleyball on it. She had gotten (K/Name) that one year for her birthday, and she's glad she kept it for all this time. Just as she reached out for the bag, she heard the door open. She was about to turn her head, but his voice stopped her dead.

"I finally get time alone with you." A familiar voice chokes the room and suffocates the atmosphere with ill intent. (Name)'s hand froze as her fingertips brushed against the surface of (K/Name)'s bag. "I've been wanting to talk to you, ya know!" Her (E/C) eyes turned to stare at Oikawa. The boy with fluffy brown hair and dreamy brown eyes. Anyone without another to tie down their heart might have swooned at the situation (Name) was in. they might have nearly fainted at the thought of what this boy was about to say next.

He calmly walked over to her at a slow pace. She gave him the same flat face that she had given him after Interhigh. One that was drained of emotion and gave him nothing to read. He let it roll off his back as he persisted. "We're finally alone. This is very exciting for me." He attempted to elicit something from her but failed.

"Is that so?" She tilted her head at him. This was bad. She didn't have a plan for this.

"Waaaah~! Don't do that (Name)-chan! You're too cute!" his hands slid on her cheeks as he began to cup her face. His expression changed once again to the charming facade he kept "Actually, gorgeous is more like it." he began to rub his right thumb in circular motions on her cheek. "I have something to confess." Shit

"I've been thinking about you a lot recently" Shit.

"And I think I've come to realize something." Shit!

"You're beautiful, compassionate, perceptive, and you love volleyball, what more could a boy want?" SHIT!

"I love you. Please go out with me." (Name) stared directly at the boy before feeling something lighting inside her. It was an intense feeling of not rage or love,

She had something she needed to say.


	36. Love

"I love you. Please go out with me." On the third day, Oikawa had found her, and Wakatoshi was about to be his audience. (Name) knew he was getting closer, and she knew he would walk in at any minute to witness Oikawa touching her. She had been cornered. Trapped by this man.

(Name) took a deep breath before looking Oikawa in the eyes. Her anxiety faded as she looked the boy over.

"Okay."

"Wait, what?" Oikawa became confused "I mean, great! Our first date-" he was cut off by (Name) gently backing him up.

"I'm going to stop you right there. Sit down." She gestured to the bench that was dividing the middle of the locker room. He saddled the bench and stared straight at (Name) while she sat on it cross-legged. "You're not actually going to date me."

"What?" Oikawa asked once again, as he stared confused at (Name) "but I just asked you out and you accepted!"

"Not really." (Name) gave a wry smile. "I wanted to talk. Before you walked in here, I thought you were just some selfish Setter who has a weird vendetta against Wakatoshi, and I still think your hatred is childish." Oikawa's pout was very similar to (K/Name)'s. "But the more I thought about what Shirogane told me, the more I began to understand." She places a soft hand on one of his broad shoulders. She gave him a motherly smile before continuing "you're intimidated, afraid that you'll never be good enough and you set up these expectations for yourself," She moves her hand to his upper arm and squeezes as she continues to tell him what she's figured out. "You aren't confident at all, are you?"

"What are you talking about? I asked you out, didn't I?" The conviction in his eyes begins to dissolve into the murky brown irises staring right into strangely soft (E/C) eyes. Her look was nostalgic, but opia began to consume him and he looked elsewhere.

"Yes, but it's fake. Your feelings for me and your motives for asking me out weren't genuine, unlike your love for volleyball. It's easy for your fake pieces to be rejected and fail, but for something so deeply rooted in you to fail or not live up to the lofty expectations you set for yourself, it's disheartening." He took a deeper breath than usual as he attempted to keep (Name) from reading him any further, but his eyes were wide and his lips were turned down in a neutral position. "Look, you really are a talented player and setter, but you have a different version of strong. You constantly think and readjust. You keep a cool head and look for any possible opening. Wakatoshi's strength is all physical. You're comparing yourself to a wing spiker, after all."

"Why are you saying all of this-"

"Because I'm tired of your desperate attempts for a victory that means nothing to you. You're hurting yourself more than you are Wakatoshi." She retracts her hand and places it on her lap. "Is a victory against Wakatoshi that important to you? What use will your victory be if it only gives you temporary satisfaction?" Oikawa was hit with a golden aura. They weren't actually there, but he could feel the gentle caress of golden feathers. He could feel the comforting weight of damaged wings. What she had said to him hadn't been rehearsed or scripted, she was showing genuine care for him. The ragged feathers on her wings weren't as shiny as they used to be, they had clearly been used to comfort others in their own time of need.

_A broken king is lead out of a storm by an injured eagle._

"(Name)-chan..." He whispers slightly before (Name) pats his cheek.

"I dislike your hostility towards Wakatoshi, and you can be annoying at times, but I have too much of a bleeding heart to ignore someone who is clearly in emotional distress." (Name) slips a scrap of paper into Oikawa's shocked hands "I have absolutely no romantic interest in you, and I never will." She scoots off the bench and begins brushing herself off "But I want you to contact me if it ever becomes too much." Oikawa sat in silence "I know your secret now. You don't have to be ashamed." Oikawa let out a small scoff.

"Jeez. are you actually trying to make me fall for you? You're insane." Oikawa stands and quickly embraces the motherly manager. Unlike the first time, his emotions seep forward without restraint. His tears of defeat were silent, but (Name) heard them loud and clear.

Oikawa would no longer be a problem.

A noise is heard outside the locker room and Oikawa quickly releases (Name) before backing up and creating a comfortable distance. Wakatoshi enters the locker room

"(Name)-" He's cut off by Oikawa.

"Took you long enough! I guess I'll leave you two alone now! Have fun! Name one of your kids after me, okay?" Oikawa then strides to the doorway and a confused Wakatoshi. "Good luck with your confession, she flat out rejected me." Oikawa patted the large Ace's shoulder before waving goodbye as he walked out towards his team. (Name) grimaces. Of course, he had to be petty. Wakatoshi's eyes widen as he begins to connect the obvious pieces.

"Did he confess to you?" Wakatoshi questioned his manager as he closed the door behind him. (Name) sighed and smiles at her teammate.

"He did, but I rejected him just like he said." (Name) approaches him gently "I rejected him because I have intense feelings for someone else." Wakatoshi panics slightly as jealousy bubbles up inside him. It paints his conscious an ugly green color, but (Name) continues "It's actually why I called you here. Yes, the first-years left their bags, and my knee does hurt, but it was an excuse that the first-years and I came up with."

"What are you trying to say?" His heart began to race as she grabbed his hands.

"I rejected him because I have intense feelings for you. Ushijima Wakatoshi, I love you." (Name)'s hands were shaking as she saw Wakatoshi's expression change drastically. His eyes went wide and he gripped (Name)'s hands tighter. He processed everything she said and studied her expression. She had no reason to lie. Her face was soft and sincere.

(Name) waited patiently. She knew how he was with emotions, and something this big would take a while to process. Even with all she knew, her knowledge of the situation didn't quell her nervous thoughts of rejection. His reddening face, however, did.

What was he supposed to do now? He was told to keep his feelings hidden for so long that he still didn't know what to do if she were to confess first.

So he did what he originally wanted to do, and followed his instincts. He quickly pulled her in and gave her a kiss on her temple, and then her cheek. He ran his hands through her hair and rested his face against hers.

"I feel the same." a rare smile graced his face as he shifted his gaze to (Name)'s eyes. She knew he felt the same, but hearing him say it was a whole new experience that she had needed for a year now. "I love you."

His words almost killed (Name) on the spot, but she stood firm. She returned his embrace and took in everything about him.

Without thinking, she tilted her face up towards his, closing her eyes slightly. Wakatoshi acts on instinct, slowly closing the gap. Just as his lips brush hers, however, a phone buzzes in (Name)'s pocket. An annoyed look crosses her face as she fished out the device and looked at the message left for her.

**TOP SECRET (NAME)-SENPAI HELPER SQUAD**

**4:36 pm** ******Big bro Taichi:** sorry if I'm interrupting something, but we're leaving soon. I hope your confession went okay (Name)-senpai.

(Name) sighed as she looked at the message. She knew this was for the best.

"We need to get going. The bus will be leaving soon and we still haven't grabbed the first year's bags." (Name) hit the power button on the side of her phone before sliding it into her pocket once more.

"I've got the bags. Don't worry about it." Wakatoshi quickly scooped up the handles before (Name) could even touch the straps. She smiles and sighs. This really was a long time coming.

She felt a large calloused hand grab and encase hers as she is led out of the room. A quick glance down reveals that Wakatoshi had effortlessly taken her hand and was now refusing to let go. A gentle blush enveloped (Name)'s face as the ever stoic Wakatoshi lead her out of the locker room. (Name) adjusted her hand to intertwine her fingers with his. She caught up with him to walk side by side with the ace.

Once they return to the bus, a few of the second years panic at how brazen Wakatoshi was being. His tight grip on (Name)'s hand was clearly romantic, and Eita was about to try and save Wakatoshi from a possibly disastrous situation, but Kenjiro quickly interrupted.

"Ah, (Name)-senpai, I'm glad the plan worked out." The second years whipped around to face the first year setter. (K/Name) sighs and rests her hand on her chest.

"I got worried when I didn't see Oikawa (Name)-senpai!" Taichi nodded

"Thought he would throw a wrench into it." the middle blocker admits as he places a hand on (K/Name)'s shoulder. Soekawa began to sweat slightly as Hayato and Eita narrowed their eyes. Taichi lazily shifted his eyes to his seniors. "We can talk about it later now that (K/Name) isn't promise-bound." He shifts his weight lethargically before taking both (K/Name)'s and his bag off Wakatoshi's shoulder. The large ace gladly handed them over as he looked at the first years with a slightly confused look. (Name) squeezed his hand to assure him that all was alright. He handed over the last bag to Kenjiro before boarding the bus with his new lover.


	37. Reveal

The evening was tranquil. Stars seemingly the size of pinheads littered the sky and lit the night. Barely a soul was roaming the open campus, and those who were out were quiet and sedate. Some finches nestled into a branch beside an open window to the dorms. Their subtle tweets mixed with a cricket's chirp. Some students had turned in early for the night, and others were still rustling through the pages of large textbooks. (Name)'s roommate, in particular, was dipping her paintbrush into a freshly mixed palette of acrylic paint. A peaceful smile lined her face as she looked over numerous thumbnail sketches depicting a placid scene. With a careful hand, the painter placed the brush down on the scene, about to add finishing touches. With the tip of the brush just barely kissing the canvas, she is disrupted.

"WHAAAAT!?" a loud scream cut through the calmness and peace of the campus. The painter's hand mushes down onto the expensive cloth and veers to the right, effectively ruining all she had been working on. Sheer shock and awe-filled her as she choked on the air that was stuck in her throat. She gripped her brushes tightly before slamming them down and grabbing a pillow from her bed. With an excessive amount of force, the artist flings her room's door open before immediately locking onto her (H/C) roommate and sniping her with the pillow in her hand.

"SHUT UUUUP!" She screams before retreating to her room.

The volleyball team jump as the door is slammed closed, and (Name) slowly removes her roommate's pillow from her face. She grimaces as the team watches with wide eyes. (Name) gives a nervous smile before lifting herself from the floor and went to knock on the door of the young painter.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Satori and Eita's screaming, we'll move to another room if you want." The door was flung open once again to show that Van Gogh had changed into slightly less tattered clothes with her art supplies tucked under her arm. She had a water bottle hanging from her mouth. With her free hand, she grabbed the pillow from her roommate and flung it back into her room.

"Oh no! It's fine! I wanted to leave the sanctuary that is my room anyways!" She mumbled as she made her way to the door. Her talking was muffled slightly by the water bottle in her mouth "I can go paint in the super shitty studio full of pretentious art kids who think that Picasso and Warhol are the absolute best artists of our generation, not even considering their absolutely terrible opinions on..." her voice begins to trail off as she rants and storms down the hall. (Name) sighed and lowered her shoulders slightly.

"Your roommate seems like a joy." Kenjiro words were laced with such heavy sarcasm that it was almost impossible to mistake them as genuine. He sipped on a coffee that (Name) had just prepared for him.

"She'll be fine. She doesn't stay angry long. She's sassy is all." (Name) went to sit down again before Eita stopped her.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't get off topic here!" Satori slid in beside him and began to nod.

"Shirogane pulled you aside that day because she wanted to speed up your relationship with Waka-kun!?" Satori ran his hands through his hair as he processed the story "Wait, repeat why!?" Leon placed a hand on his chin.

"You said it was because Oikawa planned on confessing, was he going to try and use that to his advantage? Possibly to throw off Wakatoshi?" Hayato interjected

"I'm gonna back up a bit, we sent Shirabu-kun to see what went down... and he texted us part of what you said went down... that means..."

"YOU LIED TO US!?" Eita shouted and pointed at Kenjiro. His expression remained stone cold.

"Yeeeeeeeeup." he replied casually before taking another sip of his coffee. Soekawa shifted the weight of his head from his left hand to his right.

"What I want to know is why? Wouldn't more of us be better?" (Name) scoffed.

"Hayato, Eita, Satori, Leon, what would you all have done if you heard all this information? Hayato you almost took out Oikawa that one incident, Eita, Satori, you both were ready to fight the boy yourself last year when he gave me his number. If Wakatoshi hadn't stepped in, Leon I knew you would have." The second years turn their heads out of shame. Wakatoshi blinked several times before furrowing his brow.

"What one incident?" He asks. Hayato grimaces and Kenjiro sweat slightly. He took a long drink of his coffee to avoid having to talk about it. He almost finished the entire cup. The other first-years knew what (Name) was referring to and squirmed slightly. (Name) calmly answered

"That's another story for another time. It was no big issue." Wakatoshi stared at her for a few seconds before placing it in the back of his mind and allows the others to continue their interrogation.

"So Shirabu-kun lied, but was it because you were caught?" Leon continued the conversation as he checked on the pot of steeping tea. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed the collective mugs of everyone in the room and began to distribute the tea.

"No, I approached her after Shirogane had left." Kenjiro leaned back slightly as the other first years observed him. Taichi's smile widened as he waited for his chance to say what he wanted. "I was worried about how Oikawa's plan would affect Ushijima-senpai's play. I wanted to make things as smooth as po-" Taichi finally found his chance.

"He's a momma's boy and he would do anything for mom." Kenjiro's face warps from confidence to flustered.

"That- that's not-!" (K/name) let out a giggle, immediately earning a glare from Kenjiro. His flushed face lessened the intensity of the glare.

"He made an airtight promise with me, so I couldn't let you all know anything." (K/Name) added to allow her fellow first-year some time to calm himself. "We then set up a group chat that was exclusive to us first years and (Name)-senpai. I was promise-bound to not show any of the second years" (K/Name) let a pout slide on her face "It was a real pain, no loopholes!" Taichi let out a low chuckle as Eita and Hayato shiver.

"Shirabu did that?!" Hayato questions and Eita grimaces.

"Shirabu's scary, really scary!" Leon sweats and nods. Kenjiro finally composed himself as the issue of him being a 'momma's boy' was finally off the table.

"Kenjiro-kun's leadership was pretty amazing. I'm very impressed with you." (Name) praised her junior. Wakatoshi smiled and nodded, agreeing with her praise. Satori observed the new couple's praise of their junior and tilted his head. He began to silently shift a pointing finger back and forth between (Name) and Wakatoshi. Eita noticed and furrowed his brow.

"... what are you doing?" He reluctantly questioned his roommate. Satori continues his little back and forth and ignores his roommate's inquiry.

"He's eerily quiet..." Leon comments. Satori's hand finally stops before overdramatically slouching over and resting his hand in his hands.

"So if (Name) is mom, what does that make Wakatoshi?" His questions takes the room by surprise and any off-topic chatter was killed. (Name) became slightly flustered at Satori's question. She was used to being mom, but she had never thought about the paternal side. Sure, she joked around in middle school about her setter being the cool dad, but this was a bit too close for comfort.

"Should I take a more paternal role because I am dating the matriarchal figure of the team?" Wakatoshi tilted his head slightly. He was dead serious, but the rest of the team couldn't help but crack up at his comment. (Name) choked as she held in a laugh. She loved this man dearly, but he was too serious sometimes. A slick smile spread across Satori's face as a thought popped into his head.

"So does that mean Wakatoshi is da-" (Name) immediately realized where he was going and ground her fist into his head.

"DAD, YES, HE'S DAD." (Name) continued to crush her fist into his head as she whispers to him through her teeth "If you even dare refer to Wakatoshi as that other form of 'Dad' I swear to god Satori, you won't have a good time at your next practice" Soekawa managed to hear (Name)'s threat and shivered.

_'She's got a lot of power...not just physically, but over our training regimens too... scary...'_

"Speaking of paternal roles, we should start thinking about the next team captain." Leon soon takes the conversation to a more serious subject. "I don't plan on losing any time soon, but before we know it our seniors will be retiring and graduating." Leon leaned back slightly and smiled "Since we're all together like this, I figured we should talk about it." Soekawa nodded and smiled. Leon clearly had experience with bringing down situations that the other second years escalated.

"I second this motion." Wakatoshi states as (Name) returns to his side. He swiftly grabs her hand once again like it was nothing, but it had the rest of the second years on edge. Over a year of work and progress had gone into such a casual gesture, and that fact only made Kenjiro smugger. It took the second-years a whole year to get (Name) and Wakatoshi together.

It took the first-years 3 days.

"I think Wakatoshi fits Captain pretty well." Satori drags his slumped body off the floor and flips over so his head rests on (K/Name). In the process she shifted slightly and invaded Taichi's space, who leaned and invaded Kenjiro's space. Taichi was unfazed by both (K/Name) and Kenjiro, but Kenjiro became ornery. He began pushing back on Taichi, and the first-year middle blocker took it as an opportunity to pester his setter and push against him.

"Oh no... it's like my muscles are suddenly losing control and I can't support myself." Taichi's lazy tone and smile said otherwise. (Name) watched as Kenjiro began to push as hard as he could, but Taichi's weight was too great.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Kenjiro began to struggle and Taichi began to flop.

"Guys, focus." Hayato began to try and separate them as (K/Name) laughed. (Name) sighed as she looked back at the remaining second years.

"I feel like my answer would sound biased if I agreed with you Satori, but I really do agree with you."

"Good, because I didn't want to be captain." Satori quipped, earning the tired stares of his peers.

"Like you would be captain..." Eita scoffs.

"I see no Problem with Wakatoshi being captain. I think he would be a wise choice," Leon happily nods.

"Well, you all know I can't be full-time captain, being the libero and all" Hayato concludes as he rips Taichi off of Kenjiro. "I don't want to do it anyway." (K/Name) tilts her head as she noticed a trend.

"What about you guys?" She shifts her attention to Soekawa, Eita, and Leon. The boys began to sweat.

"I-I'm not on the court a whole lot anyway! Rules dictate that the captain has to be in play at all times!" Soekawa looks away. _'_ _Besides, I'd hate to be the one wrangling these guys... I can't imagine what the crowd is going to be like next year...'_

"Wakatoshi is much more qualified than we are." Eita butts in. "He's already putting 100% into the team, so why not have him as captain. He's a good leader too." Wakatoshi blinks.

"If you all are nominating me, then I will accept." He informs the others. There was a silent unison sigh of relief coming from the second years.

"What about Vice-captain?" (Name) decided to stir the pot once more.

"NOT IT!" Satori yells as he shoots up. Soon the original first string second years chime in.

"ME NEITHER!"

"Please no..."

"NO!"

All that was left was Soekawa. He sat there with a blank look on his face as he was elected through a childish game of "Not me".

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I think we should have a more diplomatic election here!" Soekawa began to wave his hands in an attempt to deny his hastily elected responsibilities.

"I believe you would be a good choice, Soekawa." Wakatoshi suddenly interjects. "You have already shown your dedication to the team through the use of Bench language. I believe you're the natural choice for the position..." Wakatoshi suddenly stopped as he furrowed his brows. He looked to be deep in thought.

"... Wakatoshi?" (Name) touched his hand gently. He shifted his gaze to (Name). With a deadly serious tone, he replies.

"If the captain is the paternal role, and Manager is maternal, what is vice-captain?"

Satori lost it after that line. He fell as he let out a deep laugh and clenched his stomach. Hayato quickly joins him as he snorts after every few cackles, and even begins to cough some. Leon had his face hidden and his hand up to his mouth while Eita snorted and shook. (K/Name) held in her laughter the best she could, but she bursts into a crying laugh when she heard a snicker from a trembling Taichi. Kenjiro was twitching as he held a fist to his smiling face, holding his breath in the process. Soekawa bit the edge of his mug to keep quiet.

(Name) stared at her boyfriend blankly as he kept his serious facade. (Name) couldn't help but smile and let out a small laugh. She really did love this man,

But he was utterly confused.


	38. Plans

Wakatoshi walked down the hall away from his coach's office. His steps were deliberate and strong against the floors of the empty halls as he headed towards his girlfriend's dorm. In his pocket was an important piece of paper that would change how the couple would be spending their time together from then to the spring tournaments. He felt slightly anxious with the news he was about to present her.

He finally arrives at the dorm and stands in front of the door for a little while. He blinks before he raises his hand no knock on the door, but the door swings wide open to reveal a salty little artist.

"... wow. Character development, you were actually going to knock." She quipped and laughed before worming her way around him and casually walking off "Just go in. keep up that knocking thing though. You deserve a cookie or something."

Wakatoshi squinted before shaking it off and entering the dorm room. Once inside, he noticed his beautiful girlfriend looking over a paper in one hand and her phone in the other. She was actively messaging someone back and forth, looking at the paper for reference.

"(Name)." Wakatoshi was almost afraid to interrupt, but his news was important. She jumped slightly and turned her attention to him.

"Oh, Wakatoshi, I wanted to talk to you." She says with an almost sullen voice. Her tone was far from ignored by Wakatoshi as he immediately took a seat beside the girl. The paper in his hand rattled and fluttered as he sat down. (Name) took notice to it. "What's that?" She asked. Wakatoshi lifted the paper and handed it to her while establishing eye contact. His eyes were as intense as ever, but she read them as concerned and worried. (Name) quickly looked over the paper as she ignored the buzzing of her phone. (Name)'s eyes began to glaze over slightly as she read the letter.

"I've been invited to the all Japan youth training camp. I leave this Saturday. I'm afraid I will not be able to spend my spring with you."

(Name) looked over the letter as her tense shoulders begin to sink. It was almost a relief. She didn't want to let him down with her news, but this news made things a little easier.

"Wakatoshi, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to spend my spring with you anyways." Wakatoshi is taken aback as (Name) shifts her beautiful gaze to him. "My father has been working hard on finding the best doctors for my surgery, and he finally has a team and a date for my surgery."

"This is good news, is it not?" Wakatoshi asks with a nervous glimmer. He was happy that (Name)'s issue could finally be taken care of, but at the same time, he was worried. This was surgery. Something could go wrong.

"It is, but I need to go back and do some tests now. I'm going to be spending my spring in Tokyo as well, but from what this says I'm going to be on the opposite side of town." her smile eased Wakatoshi slightly.

"When is your surgery going to be?" He questioned her as his hand grabbed at one of hers. He had just noticed they were alone and began to initiate affection.

"It won't be until the end of my third year. From how the surgery sounds and how it's being planned out, I'll take 6 weeks to recover." She gave his hand a squeeze as she leaned into him. He placed his face on the crown of her head as he breathes her in. "I'm going to also study while I'm there. I'm going to come back with better information about food science."

"So long as you come back to me," Wakatoshi replied honestly. (Name)'s heart raced as she shifted her head. She locked eyes with Wakatoshi and let out a gentle breath. Her lips twitched slightly as she lifted her face to be angled with his. Her eyes began to close gently as he moved in.

Just as their lips were about to meet, the door opened, spilling second years onto (Name)'s dorm room floor. (Name) and Wakatoshi immediately retracts from their intimate proximity to stare at the second-year squad. Leon and Hayato were on the bottom of the pile while Satori, Eita, and Soekawa were toppled over on their backs. Leon's hand was still up on the turned handle of (Name)'s door.

"I told you not to hold that..." Soekawa lifts himself from the top of the pile as he guiltily looks up at the couple before him. "... so... National training camp and surgery, huh?" Eita lifts himself along with Satori as they gave a wry smile. (Name) sighed as she beckoned the second years to enter.

"It's been a while since you guys did something like that." (Name) comments.

The gentle herbal aroma of tea filled the air as (Name) and Leon pours the warm beverage. The babbling of the spouted waters soothed the tense air.

"So we're going to be separated this spring, huh?" Hayato questions as he eagerly takes a cup from (Name). He breathed in the warm steam wafting from the cup. Satori let out a low chuckle as he watched Hayato quickly enjoy the tea.

"Hayato, you don't need to drink that so quickly! You might choke," Soekawa warned. Eita and Satori couldn't resist.

"Or spill it on himself."

"Maybe he's learned to chug better." Hayato glared at the duo before pointing at Satori and making a counter-argument.

"Hey, I want to remind you that it was YOUR fault that I had to drink that tea so quickly!" Eita and Satori laugh as the anger of the libero were directed their way. Leon sighed before looking up at both (Name) and Wakatoshi.

"Technically if it was anyone's fault it was Wakatoshi for making such rash decisions in an attempt to get closer to (Name)." Wakatoshi's face began to redden slightly, but his expression didn't change.

"Is that why he suddenly texted me that night?" (Name) laughed slightly.

"If we're going to step that far back, who encouraged him to text (Name) in the first place?" Hayato pointed out before taking a drawn-out sip of his tea. Soekawa loved hearing these conversations. It made him feel like he was actually there at the time of when these events took place.

"I can't ever be not in trouble..." Satori sighed as he pushed his tea aside. "Hey, (Name), do you have-"

"In the fridge, bottom shelf in the door." (Name) cuts him off and Satori springs up, running towards her fridge. He flings the door open and quickly grabs a colorful can from the bottom of the door shelf. He snaps open the lid and takes a quick sip of the contents.

"So regarding the spring..." Leon gets back on track "There we go," He seats himself on one of the bar stools (Name) had in her kitchenette. Satori was about to tease, but he chose to leave him alone for now. He wanted to stay on subject as well.

"Yes, at least Wakatoshi and I are going away for a little bit. Him regarding Spring training, and I to discuss surgery with my family." (Name) shifted as she casually leaned into Wakatoshi's side. "I assume you all heard the details?" five pairs of eyes averted their gaze in confirmation. (Name) chuckled slightly as she took a sip of tea.

"One way or another, we'll all be training hard." Soekawa turned his head slightly as he spoke. "Some of us in more amazing situations than others..." He let out a light laugh that put the rest of the eavesdroppers at ease.

Wakatoshi looks over at his smiling girlfriend. His once uneasy feelings began to fade as she began laughing along with the other 2nd years. They began talking about their plans and how they were going to spend their spring, and what they would all do when he and (Name) got back. He intently listened in as the group began chatter of an outing or just getting something to eat.

As the chatter continued, Eita realized that Wakatoshi and (Name) hadn't been on an official date yet. He kept quiet, but he knew he had to discuss with the others a plan.


	39. Found out

The rolling of a suitcase on well-kept concrete filled the air with clacks and a vibrant hum. The low chatter of tourists and businessmen alike occupied the space of the large Tokyo station. (Name) had just endured a 2 hour long trip from Miyagi to Tokyo, and was slightly groggy from the experience. She had a phone in one hand and was conversing over it.

"Yes, mom. I just arrived. I'm on platform C. Yes... Yes... Yes. I'm heading up. Yes. Yes. Yes..." (Name) began to nod even though she knew her mother couldn't see her. "Yes! Mom, I'm sure I packed everything. You went through the checklist with me when I was packing!" (Name) dragged her suitcase onto an escalator and continued to talk with her mother "No I'm not using the stairs... Yes, I know that would be bad for my knee. Mom, MOM! NO! Even if he was here, I wouldn't have Wakatoshi carry me!" (Name) groaned as she got to the top of the escalator, gracefully walking forward towards the exit of the train station. "Look, I'll see you in a bit. Bye, mom." (Name) quickly hung up the phone and let out a groan. Her parents were going to be fun to deal with.

Once out near the street, the honking of a car horn drew her attention to a nice 4 door sedan. (Name) let a smile slip on her face as she saw her grandfather berating her father from the back seat. (Name)'s father sat on the driver's side stone-faced and with both hands on the wheel. (Name)'s mom was furiously texting from her phone as she occasionally gave a word to (Name)'s grandfather. (Name)'s mother looked up, and like a heat-seeking missile, she spotted her child with ease.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! There's my baby!" The exuberant (H/C) woman squeals as (Name) makes her way to the car. (Name)'s grandfather makes room as (Name) opened the door. Her father rushed out of the car to place her bags in the trunk.

"At least he's useful for something, the sad pill." (Name)'s grandfather muttered. (Name) sighed as she heard her grandfather take a jab at her father. She knew it would never end.

"Oh dad, He really is a sweetie! Isn't that right pumpkin!" (Name)'s mother exclaimed as Her father got back in the car.

"I cannot fairly determine that." He replies. (Name)'s mother swoons.

"SO HONEST~♡"

"YA DAMN SLUG, THAT AIN'T HOW YOU TAKE A COMPLIMENT!"

This was going to be a long ride.

As (Name) dealt with her parents, the rest of the Shiratorizawa boys were pondering and thinking. Eita, Soekawa, Hayato, Leon, and Satori had all congregated in Leon's half-empty dorm out of habit.

"Okay, so about (Name) and Wakatoshi's date... how are we going to organize that? How do we make sure everything goes right?" Eita began as he scrolls through possible date locations on his new tablet. Soekawa looks over his shoulder and occasionally points out places that look good, but Hayato would quickly bring up any possible problems.

"That's a good question. We can't dictate everything Wakatoshi does." Leon admits as he flips through a magazine he borrowed from (K/Name)'s roommate. It was full of all sorts of girly romance advice nestled next to the latest skincare trends and weight loss secrets. He began reading one of the fashion articles that (K/Name)'s roommate had highlighted. He grimaced slightly as he saw one of the clothing combinations he thought was fine be declared a fashion disaster.

"So what can we do to lead them in the right direction?" Soekawa sighs as another one of the locations he thought as nice was shot down.

"I wonder if we're at the point where we can't do anything anymore and we should just let Wakatoshi try on his own..." Eita brings up as the room falls into silence. Each second-year sat and began to ponder the possibility. Was it really time to let Wakatoshi handle being in a relationship with their precious manager by himself? Could their meddling actually harm their relationship instead of mending it?

The boys sat in silence for a few more seconds before a collected breath was released.

"Naaaaaaaah," they all said in unison as they began to laugh like idiots and resume their efforts. They only wanted the best for (Name) and Wakatoshi, so they would meddle for as long as the couple would let them. (Name) was their beloved manager after all, and Wakatoshi their ace and future captain.

"Okay okay, how about here? It's a cafe nearby." Eita suggests as he scrolled through the reviews. Satori looked over and let a glimmer of excitement awash his eye.

"Oh! (K/Name) has been wanting to go there." He points out as he pointed at the cutely decorated sweets. "I've been looking at times for us to go, but it's been crazy lately." Satori's eyes widen as he began to shake Eita's shoulders. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Let's set up a double date! That way (K/Name) and I can control the flow!"

"Satori, that's actually genius!" Hayato points and smiles. Satori huffs.

"Of course it's genius! Not all my ideas are bad" Satori hopped up and grabbed a piece of fruit off the counter. (Name) had left instructions on what they should be eating while she was away. One of Satori's assignments was to eat more fruits. He carefully peeled away the outer layer of the orange in his hand and placed each peel into the trash near the counter.

"Oh really? What about the 'Shooting star~!'" Eita dragged his hand against the air in front of him to exaggerate the name of the stupid move. His fingers wiggle slightly as he did so.

"The what?" Hayato became more interested

"Yeah it was a dumb name he came up with for a block that didn't even block anything," Eita states casually. Leon straightened his back and pointed at Eita.

"Oh yeah, I remember that!" He let out a small laugh

"Hey now, if we're gonna talk about bad ideas, might I ask..." Satori then leaned over to Leon and pointed at his choice of footwear "WHAT ARE THOOOOOOSE!?" he screamed, causing most of the room to erupt into stupid, giddy laughter.

"They're comfy!" Leon argued back slightly in defense of his footwear. He was wearing a pair of crocs with socks. Leon then huffed slightly before hiding his face in the feminine magazine "Like you deserve to laugh, Eita. Do you remember the time (Name) literally made you change because you were that much of a disaster?" Eita's laughter stopped as he choked on the memory. The rest of the room only laughed harder.

"It wasn't that bad!" He argued back.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!? THAT NEON YELLOW SHIRT GAVE (NAME) A HEART ATTACK!" Satori began to cackle at the memory of (Name) demanding Eita change.

"Mixed with the green basketball shorts, yeah it was UUUUUUGLYYYY!" Hayato couldn't help but fall over from laughing. "Man! I had to be the most decently dressed there!"

"Oh please, I clean up nicely!" Satori argued back. Eita let a huff of air out as he chuckled.

"How can you say that with that hair?" Hayato pointed out.

"Didn't you used to have a bowl cut?" Eita remarked. Soekawa began to laugh

"Did he?" Eita nodded as he began pulling up social media accounts on his iPad.

"Yeah let me find..." Eita trailed off as he saw a picture of his manager in Tokyo. She looked to be tired and exhausted as her mother held up a peace sign next to her head. In the background, he could see (Name)'s grandfather screaming at her father. Her father looked unmoved as he continued to robotically enjoy the meal they were having. "... Send a text to Wakatoshi saying that (Name) needs to hear him right now." The group gathered around Eita and looked at the scene that was cutely captioned by (Name)'s mother. Each of them grimaced, but Soekawa was the only one to pick up his phone and hastily text the ace.

Wakatoshi was dead tired as he panted hard. He desperately attempted to catch his breath as he threw up another jump serve. An equally tired first-year setter watch on as Wakatoshi slammed down on the ball with the force of a cannon, shooting the services across the court and into a corner.

"Jeez, do you ever stop?" He let out a slight wheeze before he takes a large drink of water. Wakatoshi turned slightly and watched the younger setter. The boy was a genius, but he was highly confrontational. He was slightly easygoing at times, but Wakatoshi couldn't stand him at other times.

"I need to get stronger." Just as Wakatoshi was about to pick up another ball from a quickly diminishing cart, he noticed the setter looking at his phone. "What are you doing." It was more of a demand than it was a question.

"You have a girlfriend?! No way! I thought you'd be too big and scary to have one." the setter watched another message come in from Soekawa, advising him to call (Name). "She has a cute name,"

Quickly, Wakatoshi snatches his phone from the nosey setter's hands and looks over the messages.

"Never look at my phone ever again, Miya Atsumu."

The boy only smiled as he stood up. He had been watching Wakatoshi's extra practice for quite a while now, and he already had a need to toss to the miracle boy. He had deemed him worthy.

"Alright alright, but tell me" Miya stretched out as he stood "Is she cute? How long have you been going out?"

"(Name)? Hello?" Wakatoshi began to walk out as he concentrated on talking to his beloved (Name).

"He's ignoring me..." Miya sighs but follows.

"(Name), how is everything?" Wakatoshi's tone softened, and it amused Miya greatly.

'She must be hot.'

Miles away, (Name) was locked in her room with a large dog snuggled against her back. The Great Dane was comforting in the face of her stressful parents. Wakatoshi's voice was bliss to (Name)'s ears.

"Wakatoshi, hey, I'm just a bit stressed." (Name) leaned back slightly against the Great Dane. "My grandpa keeps yelling at my dad, my mom wants to know every single little detail about my life and has resorted to trying to hack into my social media accounts and phone, and dad is being totally distant. He's being all medical like usual."

"What about your grandmother?" (Name) sighed as she turned to pet the whining Great Dane.

"She's helpful for sure, but she doesn't live with my parents"

"So you're alone at home without a support system." (Name) sighed before scratching behind the large dog's ears.

"No, I have Oki here with me, ain't that right boy!" the subtle tone of a dog's whining could be heard through the speaker. "He's plenty company for now..." (Name) pauses for a bit "But, I would also appreciate if you called more too, I like hearing your voice..."

Miles away, Miya observed a rare smile cross the large ace's face. He curiously observed as Wakatoshi's eyes soften even more. There was a longing there

"I'll call you every day around this time." from a man who was so committed to volleyball, this was a huge commitment. This girlfriend of his must have really meant something to him. "Yes, I am taking proper care of myself... I was practicing my jump serve... I wasn't pushing myself." Wakatoshi's face warped quickly. "What about you? Are the preparations for surgery going well?... You should rest as often as possible, your knee could get worse... Don't let the dog lean on you then... You shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting at all."

"What kind of relationship do they have..." Miya watched as Wakatoshi sternly bickers slightly on the phone. Unbenounced to the pair, a third set of eyes watched them. A medical mask covers his face as his hair dries. He had just gotten out of the bath and was cautious about everything he touched. He had watched Wakatoshi's extra practice and was beginning to admire the ace. His power was impressive, and his dedication to the game was astounding.

"Okay... I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night." Wakatoshi then ended the phone call and swiftly placed the phone into a pocket. He was relieved to know that (Name) was alright, but he longed to see her.

Wakatoshi let out a small sigh before shaking the feeling off and heading to the bath to wash up.

(Name) awoke the next day to find that the trusty Oki was there beside her. He must have spent the entire night with her. She smiled and stretched out as her large companion sprung to life. He excitedly trotted over to the door and waited for her to open it. (Name) made her way out to the living room to find books scattered everywhere. The smell of eggs filled the air as a rhythmic chopping followed suit. (Name) looked at some of the books and recognized them as nutritionist books. Others were about the human body.

"How did my beautiful butterfly sleep?" A craggily old voice called out from a chair in the dining room. (name) smiled at the sound of her grandfather's voice.

"I slept alright, where's dad?" (name) questioned as she made room for herself.

"That old rag is at the hospital, the only place he's worth a cent." (Name) heard a huff from the kitchen. Her mother appeared from the modern room with breakfast options in hand.

"He's worth so much more than that, dad!" (Name)'s mother plopped herself down next to her daughter.

"Ah, whatever! How that sheet of drywall married my little swan is beyond me." (Name)'s mom sighed before taking a sip of coffee. "So (Name), how has that team been coming along?" (Name) began to sweat slightly. Did she tell him now? Or later? Either way, she didn't know how her grandfather would react to her dating.

"They've been coming along nicely," She said in a slightly nervous tone. (Name) began to reason that she couldn't tell them now, her father wasn't here. "I want to help them out more, and I was wondering if you both would teach me a little about personal training and nutrition," (Name)'s grandfather let a sigh out as he placed his chopsticks down.

"Alright, I'll teach you." he didn't seem pleased. (Name) could feel his irritation roll off him. "On one condition,"

"Of course grandfather," (Name) states. Her grandpa laced his fingers together.

"You tell me which one of those damn brats thinks he's dating you." (Name)'s face went pale as a cold sweat washed over her body. A nervous smile lined her face. How did he know? How did he know she was dating.

The gentle, guilty sipping of coffee could be heard next to her. (Name)'s eyes dragged over to her mom, who was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Her mother's guilty face was clear as day, and (Name) could feel a slight anger bubble up in her. She knew that her mother had most likely gone through her friend's accounts and found the news all on her own and blabbed about it to her dad. She was always like this. (Name) began to recount the many times she saw her mother dig through the journals (Name) kept over the years in a desperate attempt to find out more about her daughter.

"... Wha... What? Who? How...?" (Name) began to sweat even more

"Your mother saw a social media post from that one guy, the weirdo with the weird hair," Well that could be either Eita or Satori "He was going on about some junior manager before?" yup. Satori.

"... Grandfather,"

"No no no, I'll gladly teach you all I know my honey blossom, but you have to tell me which of those buffoons had the NERVE to ask my little golden nymph out!" (Name) began to sweat again. She had to rat him out.

'Forgive me, Wakatoshi!'


	40. An Old Falcon

"Morning, Wakatoshi!" A voice calls out to the miracle boy. He slightly turns his head before quickly turning it back. He didn't want to deal with the boy who just called his name. "Wakatoshi!" He was called to again. He tried to ignore it as he walked towards a table to sit and eat his breakfast. He began to tap on his phone as the setter that was calling his name quickly sat across from him. "It's rude to ignore people, you know."

"Miya." Wakatoshi acknowledged.

"How do you have a girlfriend..." Miya huffed as he began picking at his food. Wakatoshi glared slightly, and Miya picked up on it quickly. "Oh, sorry, is (Name)-chan a soft spot?"

"Don't call her that."

"Right, right, gotcha." Wakatoshi took a deep breath as he tried to focus on his breakfast once again. "So, gonna overwork yourself again today?"

"I'll work until I feel satisfied." Wakatoshi provided a curt answer.

"Work until satisfied. You're quite tough." A voice cut in. Both boys looked up to see a fellow trainee with a medical mask on his face. His dark hair was medium length and curly. "You're Ushijima Wakatoshi. One of the top players in the league right now, correct?" Wakatoshi turned slightly and nodded.

"And you?" Wakatoshi questions as Miya leans in slightly.

"You eat remarkably well. It's as if you study food science and nutrition."

"Our manager is top-notch when it comes to nutrition. You didn't answer my question." Wakatoshi pushed slightly. Their cold stares were an equal match for one another, and it was as if two walls were being pushed against each other. Miya found himself right in the middle.

"It can't be just nutrition that's your secret, what else is it? What's your usual training regimen? How do you warm-up? When do you take breaks?" The mysterious boy soon sat down and stared at Wakatoshi.

"Just answer me your name." Wakatoshi pressed once again. The mysterious boy was silent.

"Sasuka! Are you bugging people again?" A more bouncy boy soon strode over. His hair was parted in the middle of his forehead, and his eyes were bright. His arms had multiple bruises along with his knees and shins. "Sorry about him. He's a bit of a downer!"

"Komori..." Sasuka whispers.

"Sasuka... as in Sasuka Kiyoomi? You're one of the great up and comers, you bumped Bokuto Kotarou out of his top 3 spot." Miya uttered. Finally, Wakatoshi gave him his full attention. "Yeah, I'm not surprised to see you here, but at the same time I am."

"Well he was invited just like the rest of us, if only he wouldn't square up every person he met, that would be great." Komori laughed slightly. "Hey, can we sit here?"

"I see no problem." Wakatoshi openly welcomed the duo. He was interested in seeing the person that knocked the boy that had aggravated (Name) so much out of the top 3.

As (Name) desperately texted her boyfriend, (Name)'s grandfather was on his way to the camp. She had no idea what kind of scene her grandfather would cause, and she was frantically looking for directions to stop him. So far she had gotten as far as the center of Tokyo. She knew her way around the city well, but finding obscure places based only on a couple of google searches was a challenge for even her.

She dashed around the capital, and it was really taking a toll on her knee. The more wrong turns she took, the more panicked she became. Why did her mother have to tell her grandfather of her relationship with Wakatoshi? Why was it so important that her mother knew absolutely everything about her? Why did she stoop so low as to digging through her social media and looking through her friends' social media? The frustration was what fueled her through lunch as she continued her sprint.

At the youth training camp, (Name)'s grandpa, Hiroki, stepped out of his car. His face was sterner than usual, but anyone who didn't know him wouldn't be able to tell. He slammed the metal door behind him and began a march into the gymnasium. He was far from a stranger at these facilities, as he had trained many a student here.

The swagger he walked with made him look to be at least 20 years younger than what he actually was, and it was clear with the way he held himself he had power. His chin was held high as he began to look around the building.

"Ah, Hiroki-san, is that you?" A calm voice called to him. The older man turned his head to see a kinder-looking face. He was middle-aged and had a dark goatee. The wrinkles around his eyes carved out an experienced look.

"It's good to see you again Fuki." Hiroki greeted. He walked towards the man and extended an arm. Fuki grabbed the older man's hand and gave it a friendly shake.

"Likewise. Are you here to give encouragement to the boys again? It's been quite a while since you've been a drill sergeant." Fuki questioned as he began to lead Hiroki in. He foolishly trusted the elder enough to not cause his team any harm.

"One of your boys thinks he's dating my precious little dango. I plan on setting him straight, but I want to see what this boy is made of." Fuki could only laugh.

"As protective as ever, I see. I hope whoever it is can stand up to your creative name-calling." Fuki led the man to some stands to watch practice. "What's his name if I may ask?"

"Ushijima Wakatoshi." As soon as he uttered his name, Wakatoshi slammed down a ball with the power of a cannon through a block. The sound the ball made as it hit the floor was frightening to those with a weak will. It commanded Hiroki's attention, and he gave it to the falling warrior as Wakatoshi retracted his wings.

"That would be him. He's quite the powerhouse. Reminds me of how someone else used to play." Fuki remarked. A small laugh caused his wrinkled eyes to close with glee. Hiroki only stood and watched. He took in every ounce of detail that he could as he watched the beast take flight. In his trajectory, he saw a silhouette of himself over the powerful giant.

He didn't want to stop being angry yet, but he could feel it slipping away as he continued to watch the practice, and Fuki knew this. He knew that when the older man called him earlier that day that something was eating at him. He knew that watching an eagle like Wakatoshi would take his mind off of whatever was getting on his nerves.

He knew Hiroki would take a shine to the boy who played most like he did.

(Name) finally made it to the center where the all-Japan youth training camp was taking place and panicked when she saw her grandfather's car. She rushed into the lobby and stopped dead when she realized she had no idea where else to go. The facilities were too large, and it would take her hours to find her way. She took a heavy sigh as she looked at her phone. Wakatoshi was probably too preoccupied with volleyball to check his phone. (Name) let out a frustrated sigh before trying to send one more message.

"(Name)?" A familiar voice beckoned her. She whipped her head up to see a surprised and somewhat pleased Wakatoshi. Miya was following him closely and spotted her as well.

'Ahhh, she's even hotter in person...' He thought and grimaced slightly.

"What are you doing here?" She soon sprinted towards him and grabs onto his arms. His full attention was now on her.

"Have you seen my grandfather?!" (Name) panicked.

"No, I haven't. Why are you out of breath? Did you run here?" Wakatoshi soon began to worry about her knee. He began thinking up ways of getting her off of it.

"Look, that's not important, my grandfa-"

"So you did run. Does your knee hurt?" He began to worry even more.

"Wakatoshi I'm fine,"

"You're lying. Sit down."

"That's not important! My grandfa-"

"(Name), Sit down," Miya watched in awe as he saw the two bicker and worry for the other. He had never seen anything like it. He was so concerned for her well being that he was ignoring his own, and she did the same. He began to understand that the attraction they had for each other went far beyond that of vanity.

Miya thought he had seen it all, but he wasn't prepared for when Wakatoshi effortlessly scooped up (Name) in his arms just so that she would get off the knee he seemed so intently focused on.

"W-Wakatoshi!" (Name) yelped slightly.

"You weren't sitting down." He explained.

"I-Incredible... he's kinda like a coconut... Hard shell, soft center..."

"Look, my grandfather isn't happy with us dating! And I doubt he's going to be happy if he sees this!"

"You were in pain. If I am punished for keeping you from being in pain any longer than so be it." Wakatoshi replied with a gentler tone. His expression softened in a way that only (Name) could see. She blushed at the comment, and for a moment her worries went away.

"Of all the words to say, you probably said the correct ones." A gruff voice soon interjected. All of those anxieties came right back. (Name), Wakatoshi, and Miya all looked towards the source and saw the sturdy Hiroki. His face was stern, but not aggressive.

"G-Grandfather!" (Name) exclaimed. Miya began to look back and forth between Hiroki and (Name). That old man who was being chummy with Hibarida was (Name)'s grandfather?! What's more, upon closer inspection, he looked to be a lot tougher than he thought.

"Now I'm not thrilled my little chrysanthemum's been courted," Hiroki took a deep breath as he looked at the tender way Wakatoshi held his granddaughter "but if it's from someone like you I can live with it." He began to saunter over to the Shiratorizawa couple "You may not realize it fletchling, but I know how you play more than you do. Do you think you're all original? Feh." He crossed his arms and sneered slightly "You're rare, I'll give you that, but you aren't original. Take it from an old cannon." He walked past Wakatoshi and beckoned him to follow. "Keep working hard baby bird, and I might dislike you less. Carry my dazzling diamond this way and place her in the car, I'll take her home." (Name) watched in awe as she debated what she witnessed was real. She could have sworn she saw a small smile form on her grandfather's wrinkled face, even if it was brief.

Wakatoshi nodded and followed Hiroki out. He wanted to spend more time with (Name), but he knew it was better for her to go home and get some rest.

"Wakatoshi," (Name) whispered slightly, "Why didn't you look at any of my texts? I tried to text you before practice started,"

"Someone has been taking the liberty of looking over my phone while I'm here for their own amusement. I left my phone in my bag to prevent this. I apologize." He gave her a small smile as he took in her warmth. He was quickly recharging with her close by.

"I understand, and it's alright. I just wanted to warn you about my grandfather. I was afraid he was going to do something rash." (Name)'s heart rate steadies as she witnesses the rare smile. "I'll talk to you about it later tonight."

"Hurry up! Don't be like that damn Goro! He's about as useful as snake mittens!" Hiroki shouted as he held the car door open. Wakatoshi nodded and gently placed (Name) into the passenger seat. (Name) noticed her grandfather was looking away and took her chance. She quickly placed a kiss on Wakatoshi's temple. He was shocked for a moment but quickly snuck one back. (Name)'s face lit up red, as did Wakatoshi's.

"I'll talk to you later tonight. Don't overwork yourself." Wakatoshi states as he hangs over the car doorway.

"That goes for you too." (Name) replied. She gave him a bashful smile before Hiroki gets into the car and prepares to take off.

As Wakatoshi watches the car drive away, he can feel the eyes of a sly setter.

"So... Does that kind of drama happen often?"

"Surprisingly.... Yes."

In the car, (Name) looks out the window with a red face and a dreamy smile. Hiroki notices and decides to break her daydreaming.

"Now that's out of the way, it's time we talk about your training and studying. If you're going to keep up with him, we need to start now." (Name) turns her less reddened head towards her grandfather and blinks. "You'll begin nutritional science 101 with your mother. We'll send you back to school with some books. Your father comes home today with a new brace, so we'll brush up on some of those ace skills of yours tonight."

"What?" (Name) said with anticipation.

"You're not going to be a manager forever, are you? We'll just keep up your skills." Hiroki smiled a cocky smile. "The Golden Girl will one day rise again." (Name) smiled and nodded. "So let's make sure she's not completely rusty."

"Right!"


	41. Return

(Name) stood with a wry smile on her face as she lets a breath escape her (S/C) lips. "I take it you missed me?"

Taichi lets out a yawn "What makes you say that?"

(K/Name) mutters and looks elsewhere "No, I'm a big girl now, I didn't miss you,"

Shirabu clicks his tongue "You're seeing things"

Wakatoshi narrows his gaze as he crosses slightly jealous arms "Are we?"

All 3 of the main first years were clinging onto (Name) for dear life. They had latched onto her as soon as they saw her walk through the gym doors with their beloved ace. (Name) shook her head as Leon laughed in the background. "They aren't the only ones who missed you both, how was Tokyo?" He gently made his way over with Eita and Hayato in toe. Satori soon bounded after the other second years. Eita sensed a disturbance as Satori opened his mouth.

"Yeah, Waka-kun, did you get past first ba-" Before he could finish the sentence and cause the poor Ace a humiliation, Eita swiftly knocks the middle blocker back, effectively causing the rambunctious redhead to bite his tongue. The second years didn't bat an eye, but (K/Name) looked up from cuddle time for a few seconds to check on him before straightening out her priorities and going back to snuggling.

"It's good being back," (Name) gave each first year a bit of affection before they finally unclamped from her. "Tokyo was... eventful."

Hayato laughed "When is something not eventful with us?" the libero was about to have the duo elaborate, but a loud bang interrupted the group. All heads turned to the source, Wakatoshi had just put down a large bag that had been slung over his shoulder. Several books had spilled out, splaying their contents on the floor.

(Name) was clearly upset as she jogged over to him "I told you if it was too heavy I could handle carrying some of them."

"It's fine. They were just hurting my shoulder a little."

"It was hurting you!?"

"If it hurt me it would have damaged you more,"

"Wakatoshi, you aren't a pack mule!" (Name) reached out as she felt his shoulder, making sure he didn't damage it. She quickly realized how close she was, however, and her mind flashed back to the quick kiss on the temple he had given her. She retracted her hand at high speed, apologized, and went to open the large bag that Wakatoshi had dropped. Wakatoshi let out a small huff, frustrated that the contact was over.

Satori let out a mutter as he held a hand over his mouth. "They so haven't gotten to first base..."

"Satori!" Eita quietly scolded.

"They haven't! When have you ever seen (Name) THAT bashful! If they had done ANYTHING then they would be perfectly fine!"

Leon sighed as the first years walked over and began to listen in. "He's right though, Wakatoshi isn't good at matters of the heart, but he is instinctual. My best guess is that he's over thinking."

"Ushijima-senpai? Overthinking?" (K/Name) questioned. "I thought he didn't think..."

"He doesn't and he does," Eita replied. "When he does think, things can get messy, but the same goes for when he doesn't think."

"So you're saying more meddling is in order..." Kenjiro sighs as he glances over at the couple. (Name) had reached out for a book at the same time as Wakatoshi, causing their hands to touch. (Name) visibly became flustered, confusing Wakatoshi. "... How do we help them?"

Leon shook his head "We may not be-"

"Double date!" Satori interjected. (K/Name) bursts into a bright rosy color as she saw where her boyfriend was going. "(K/Name) and I can gently nudge them forward! Simple and easy!"

"Because you're the most functional couple out there to be handling this." Kenjiro teased, causing Satori to slouch.

"Hey now..."

Before the planning could continue, Soekawa came bursting through the doors. He was out of breath as he quickly changed into his athletic shoes.

"I'm here! Are (L/Name) and Wakatoshi back?!" (Name) raises her head from sorting the many books and gives the panicked pinch serve a wave.

"Yup, we're back!" Wakatoshi also gives a quick wave before making sure (Name) doesn't try to carry too many books.

"Great! Because we have a problem," Soekawa clapped his hands together as he sheepishly made his way into the gym. "So the budget for this year's tournament was cut, and went to the equestrian club... they're willing to buy groceries and only one restaurant dinner..."

The entire gym burst into questions and protests. Usually, Shiratorizawa pays for teams who reach nationals' meals by sending them to restaurants. Each year the Volleyballs' team budget had grown, allowing the team to have lavish meals.

"Wait, so they're just going to cut it?! Like that?!" Eita cries. "It takes a lot of food to feed us though!"

"I can't imagine making all of that..." (K/Name) shuttered.

"I don't want you making all that... we'd be goners..." Taichi adds as he recalls all the things he tested for the little rabbit. She wasn't exactly the best cook.

"Everyone calm down," (Name)'s soothing voice cut through the club "If this works out like last year, then they don't have an actual budget on groceries, just that we have to purchase and use whatever we buy from the grocery store." (Name) places a rather large book in her arms as she smiles at her team. "You'll all be fed, you'll all be fine, I promise!" the confidence and motherly aura her body exuded calmed the group and reminded Wakatoshi why he was in love with her. He saw a bit of maturity that may have sprouted within the past week, but he fell in love with it like the rest of the full blooms in the bouquet that was (Name). He loved how she took charge, but at the same time, he was worried about her. Her knee was the same, but her brace looked new.

"It's still a lot of cooking, and prep time," Wakatoshi pointed out as he places a hand on her arm. She tenses but allows herself to calm with his touch. "Are you sure you can do that and still provide all you want to?"

(Name) sheepishly turned her head "I have to, I mean I can do it!"

"(Name),"

"Well, If it helps any, I'm 100% ready when it comes to notes..." (K/Name)'s shy voice soon pops in. "well, maybe not 100%, but I'm ready to t-take..." Her face began to bloom red as she noticed all the eyes on her.

"(K/Name)-chan? Really? Do you have that for me? If you do, it would save me a ton of work..." (Name) smiled at her younger manager. (K/Name) forcefully nods as determination fills her shied eyes.

"You... You aren't the only one who's been working towards becoming a better manager!" (K/Name) burst forth, filling (Name) with joy.

_A small rabbit, once barely leaving the burrow, now stands tall as her long ears twitch_

****"I believe in you, (K/Name)!" (Name) smiles as she clung the book she was holding in her hands. It was almost yesterday that she watched and wondered for the girl's safety. Her worries washed away that day like they did today, but today it was all (K/Name)'s own doing.

"You're growing to be quite the woman (K/Name)!" (Name) beamed, causing the whole room to warm with her radiance. There was nothing like the warmth of a proud mother.

After the announcement in the gym, (Name) was quickly informed a second time of the food challenge by Coach Washijo himself.

"As you may know, the school does this to punish teams for being lackluster. It's meant to build character." He starts as (Name) takes down some notes from the sidelines. (K/Name) listened in as well.

"I believe the middle school did something similar," (Name) quickly scratches the pencil against her notes once again.

"They do. I apologize that the boys' lack of performance imposed this on you (L/Name)." Washijo closes his eyes as he dips his head slightly, but (Name) shook her head.

"I'm part of the team too, I'm just as much to blame. I'll begin a meal itinerary as soon as practice is over." Washijo gave her a curt nod and a grunt. He was thankful to have the resourceful girl on his team


	42. Pay Attention

Most of the crew was once again all congregated in Wakatoshi and Leon's dorm. (Name) had multiple books spread out on the floor as she diligently wrote in a brand new notebook. Beside her was Wakatoshi, leaning on her shoulder and enjoying the close contact. (Name)'s face was red, but she did her best to troop through her embarrassment. It didn't bother her, in fact, she was happy about the attention, but it still flustered her.

Wakatoshi was slightly frustrated, however. He didn't have (Name) all to himself as he wanted. He had spoken to Leon about it, but Leon advised him to keep it cool. Wakatoshi wanted nothing more than to finally follow his instincts with (Name). He wanted to be the center of his attention for just one day. A few hours would satiate him even. He sighed slightly as he longingly gazed up at her lips.

Hayato was ignorant of the situation and sat lazily on the couch, enjoying the fact that he had his phone for once and it wasn't lost. He scrolled through social media feeds, leaving likes idly. Leon was at the kitchenette counter with Soekawa, reviewing notes from practice and how they could improve. The lull of pencil scribbles and social media notifications created a nice welcome home for (Name). She had missed this. She had missed just hanging out with her friends and boyfriend. She had missed the drama-free, peaceful dorms of Shiratorizawa.

_Ding!_

Hayato's phone suddenly goes off.

_Buzz buzz!_

(Name)'s phone vibrates next to her, disturbing Wakatoshi's daydreaming. (Name) quickly looks at the notification. It was from Kenjiro.

**The Team**

**7:54 pm** **grumpy fledgling Shirabu:** EMERGENCY! Kawanishi's going to beat the crap out of Tendou-senpai! (K/Name)'s crying in our room!

(Name)'s eyes widen as she reads the message, Hayato's already vaulted over both her and Wakatoshi, knowing what he needed to do.

"Leon! Soekawa! We have an emergency! I need you both to check on (K/Name)-chan, she's in Taichi and Kenjiro's dorm! Wakatoshi, you're with me!" She grabbed ahold of his hand, making her way quickly to Satori's dorm. She wanted to run, but Wakatoshi slowed her down once she got to the steps.

"(Name), you'll hurt yourself if you run up the stairs," He argued. (Name) growled slightly and turned to him

"Satori will be hurt if I don't hurry!"

"What is the rush? What message did you get?" Wakatoshi asked in a confused and irritated tone. (Name) pulled slightly against her boyfriend, but she found it was like pulling on the reigns of a stubborn ox.

"Kenjiro said that Taichi was going to hurt Satori for something! I need to get up there right now before the boys beat the living hell out of one another!" She became desperate with Wakatoshi, tugging his arm once more even though she knew he wouldn't budge.

Wakatoshi did something surprising to her, however. He scooped her up in his arms and began barreling up the stairs. (Name) had let out a yelp in surprise, and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck to keep her stabilized.

"W-Wakatoshi!" She let out in a breathy whisper, almost making the boy stop right on the stairs and act out an instinct that he had been feeling for a while, but he knew that (Name) was far too kind and far too worried about others for her to let him do anything like that,

Let alone the two haven't even shared their first kiss yet.

Once (Name) was close enough, She jumped out of Wakatoshi's grasp, hearing the commotion from Eita's and Satori's dorm. Wakatoshi was startled for just a second, before making his way in himself after hearing (Name) begin to scold Taichi. He strode in, finding a mess of a scene. On the floor of his room, Satori laid with a reddened cheek. Eita was standing in between the middle blockers as Hayato and Kenjiro looked on. (Name) was knelt on the floor next to a dazed Satori.

"What the hell is going on? I got a text saying Taichi was going to kill you! Explain yourself!" (Name) questioned the downed redhead. Wakatoshi took his chance to prevent further violence by placing a hand on Taichi's shoulder. The irritated first year acknowledged the touch as a way of the Ace mimicking (Name)'s calming techniques. He didn't know how to fully execute them, but the assurance was enough to cool Taichi slightly.

"What else. Drama." Kenjiro's sharp tongue cut through the room's tension. "(K/Name) is in our room sobbing her eyes out." His statement caught (Name)'s attention, and she quickly swiveled her head around

"What?!" (Name)'s head began to spin slightly. There was no way in Hell Satori would ever even have an inkling of wanting to make (K/Name) cry. "Satori, what is going on?!" She needed to know more. She needed to know what was going on in that unreadable head of his.

"I don't know." Satori's thousand-mile stare bore through the ceiling as Eita joined (Name) on the floor. He laid a gentle hand on Satori's shoulder to help soothe any of the emotional pain he was feeling.

"What's up, buddy?" Eita's voice was gentle, and it angered Taichi slightly. He clearly didn't think Satori deserved sympathy at the moment, and he voiced his reasons why.

"(K/Name) said she loved him. And he ran."

"DUDE!" Eita let out a screech, causing (Name) to flinch slightly. Wakatoshi only looked on with wide eyes at how he wasn't the one that messed up the worst this time.

"I don't know!" Satori sat up, and placed his face in his hands. "I... I got all scared! Like.." Satori grasped at the air, attempting to string words together to explain his feelings, but failed time and time again. Taichi became impatient, turning his back on the other middle blocker.

"Look, I don't care what the reasoning is right now, but until you figure out what the hell is going on up there, stay the hell away from (K/Name)." Taichi stormed out, followed by a far from pleased Kenjiro.

(Name) sighed at the boys, but let them go, what could she do? They had only the girl they had grown attached to in their mind, and it must hurt them to see her shaken up. Especially Taichi. She was aware of the promise he made to (K/Name). She was aware of how much he cared. She was aware that Taichi must have seen this as a failure to protect (K/Name) in his eyes.

She soon shifted her attention to the downed guess monster. His eyes now covered by his palms as he attempted to reorganize his thoughts.

"Satori, this isn't like you at all." (Name's motherly voice cooed. She beckoned for her boyfriend and Yamagata to come in.

"I don't know... Recently I've been having these thoughts. What if..." (Name) leans in and listens to her teammate. She desperately wanted to know what was on his mind, but he shook his head and shut them out.

"No, come on, spit it out." Eita began to push. He knew that this was far from the Satori he knew. This wasn't the playfully annoying Satori that he had grown to care for like a brother. This wasn't the Satori that wouldn't shut up about love and anime. This wasn't his Satori.

Wakatoshi knelt down next to (Name), putting a hand on her back. He had a feeling of what Satori was going to do next. They all watched in pain as Satori forced a smile onto his face. It wasn't natural, but it seemed well-rehearsed.

"Don't worry about it too much! We have nationals coming up! Gotta worry about that more!" Satori jumps up off the floor before walking towards the door and rubbing his cheek. The group watched him leave, and their hearts ached for their ball of sunshine. "Man, Taichi can pack a punch! I'm gonna go practice on my own for a bit, I'll be back later, Eita."

A dark cloud had taken over Satori's view. (Name) wanted to do nothing but to help him. After all, he had done for them, it only seemed fair.

(Name) sat in her room as she began to ponder how she could help. She quickly discovered that helping in love matters was far harder than being helped herself. In her lap, her phone shone brightly in the dim light of the evening. On it was a message that she had typed out and deleted several times over. No words seemed strong enough to convey her thoughts.

She types out a message one last time before completely and totally turning off her phone. Nothing was coming to her. Nothing was right. It frustrated her.

"You forgot how to knock, big guy. Remember that thing you do with your fist against the door?" (Name)'s ever salty roommate's voice rang out in the common area. "Yeah, she's in there, but please, do what you like. Apparently you live here too, now." After that line, (Name)'s room is entered by the much larger Wakatoshi. His eyes filled with concern, and a slight touch of exasperation from (Name)'s roommate's tongue lashing.

"Wakatoshi?" (Name) questioned as said boy closed the door behind him. He wanted to be alone with her.

"You're worried." He stated bluntly as he made his way over to (Name) sitting on her bed. (Name) smiled before looking down at her hands and nodding.

"I never realized how hard it is to solve other's drama. I guess I owe the guys a lot more than I thought." she was so focused on her lap that she didn't realize the b line Wakatoshi had made towards her. By the time she looked up again, Wakatoshi was leaning towards her. "W-Wakatoshi?" She whispered before he finally let instincts kick in. He didn't have anyone telling him what to do right now, everyone else was focused on Satori. He could act the way he wanted to without someone stopping him.

"I want to make you feel less worried." he admitted. He pressed his forehead against hers, enjoying her soft breaths against his lips. "But at the same time, I want to touch you. I've wanted this for so long." (Name)'s eyes widen as Wakatoshi becomes bolder. She blushes and placed a hand to his cheek.

"...there's nothing saying... you can't do both." That was all the permission he needed. Wakatoshi climbed over (Name), allowing his hands to rest where they liked.

"I know you care about the others... but I want to be selfish, just for a little bit." He admits. "I want you to think only of me." (Name) turned her head slightly. Was that why he was here? Because all that happened today? Because she hasn't been fully paying attention to him?

She began to realize that ever since she gave him his heart, she couldn't just ignore him for her duties or others. He had a special place. He wouldn't take up everything, but he deserved his own time.

She realized that Wakatoshi had made this realization long ago. He had already carved out that part in his life for her.

"I'm sorry if I've made you worry, Wakatoshi. I'm sorry if I've ignored you..." (Name) finally looks up to Wakatoshi, who was hovering over her. Her heart was beating faster and faster the longer he looked at her like that. "I'll... I'll only focus on you. Right now, it's just the two of us. I'll take a break so that we can be together right now."

Wakatoshi can hardly hold back any longer. He hungrily presses his lips against (Name)'s. (Name)'s face burned brightly at the new contact. Contact she had never felt before. It was her first kiss.

And it was now his.

Her fingers raked through his short hair, only encouraging him to hold her tighter. He didn't ever want to let her go, but he finally broke the kiss. (Name)'s gentle eyes slowly opened again, intoxicating Wakatoshi. He fell to his side, crashing into the bed next to (Name). He embraced her in the familiar possessive manner that he did a year ago when she was sick.

"I love you." (Name) whispered into Wakatoshi's chest. He had always been a man of actions over words, so he decided to tilt her face up towards his by grabbing her chin and showing how much he loved her with another kiss. At this point, he was addicted to the feeling of her lips. He wanted more. He needed more.

Ever since he came back, he had been craving her. The drama between Satori and (K/Name) stalled his affections, but it did not hinder them. He only dove deeper into his need for (Name). He missed her while he was at training camp, and being so close now made all the waiting worth it.

"I love you too."

After the declaration of affection, he went back in for a third kiss. He was becoming addicted. With one hand caressing her cheek and the other wrapped around her waist, he went even bolder. He nipped at (Name)'s lip ever so slightly. Out of surprise, she quickly complies with his request. He wastes no time sliding his tongue into her mouth. The sensation was unlike any other, and he loved it. The way (Name) whimpered only fueled him further. He wanted more. He wanted so much more. More of that sound. A sound that was only for him. He wanted to hear more.

He separated from her mouth once more, but then hovered over the crook of her neck. He recalled the time where a simple breath was enough to send her into a frenzy, and he wanted to recreate that now, but a breath wouldn't be enough for him.

He recalled the spot from that moment and began by kissing it gently. (Name) immediately flared up, squirming slightly in his grasp, attempting to hold back sighs and whimpers of pleasure. She didn't push him away, and if anything she encouraged him. She let one hand grip his head while the other gently clawed his back. Once satisfied with the reaction (Name) gave him, he became a little rougher with the spot. He nipped and ran his tongue over it, causing a whirlwind of feelings to well up inside (Name). She loved it, but she was becoming frustrated.

"Wakatoshi..." She whispered before maneuvering herself to the crook of his neck. "Here, like this." the simple breath was enough to heighten his sensitivity, but when (Name) began giving love bites and sucking on the spot, his face began to burn bright red. His breathing stifled. A desperate hand ran through her hair as (Name) continued to pleasure him. She continued until she felt satisfied that Wakatoshi understood. She pulled back from the spot, not taking the time to note any sort of evidence. She only looked back up at him with sultry eyes.

"Do you want to try again?" (Name)'s tone almost made him shiver, but he nodded. He moved so that he could hover over the crook of her neck, preparing to return the favor (Name) had given him.

"Kids! Curfew time, get back to your dorms." A voice called out from the common area. A frustrated Wakatoshi and (Name) let out a simultaneous sigh, but they knew they didn't have a choice. The moment was over.

"I guess another time." (Name) smiled at her boyfriend, causing the man to blush slightly. He thought he was being the bold one. He littered kisses all over her face before crawling off her bed. "Night, I love you." She states, still half in a daze. Wakatoshi gives her a smile before one last kiss goodnight.

"I love you too." With one final goodnight, Wakatoshi leaves the dorm. He was more satisfied than before, but it seems (Name) lit a fire in him. He wanted more, but for now, he didn't know if he could handle more.

He rubbed the part of his neck that (Name) had paid special attention to, brushing his fingers over a slowly darkening mark. 


	43. Hickey

The morning shone brightly in the eyes of Wakatoshi. He was always an early riser, but not one like Leon was. The boy was always ready a half hour before Wakatoshi was, on the dot. This morning was like all others, and Leon was sitting out in the common area, sipping tea.

"Ah! Morning Wakatoooooohhhhhh...." Leon's sentence trailed off as Wakatoshi stretched in the early rays. Wakatoshi was still slightly groggy, so he didn't think anything of it, but Leon felt his soul leave his body.

"Morning." Wakatoshi briefly greeted before finally realizing Leon was staring. "... is something wrong?"

"Is... Did you sleep wrong or something?" Leon asked with a hopeful tone. Wakatoshi tilted his head. Why would he ask that?   
"No. I slept just fine." Leon's tan skin began to become a porcelain pale.

"Then it has to be... W-Wakatoshi..." Leon shakily lifted a hand and pointed at Wakatoshi's neck, "Is that a hickey?"

Wakatoshi blinked several times before touching his neck, "A what?"

"A hickey! Look, pull out your phone and take a look!" Wakatoshi does as his roommate requests, and finally notices the dark spot nestled in the crook of his neck. He immediately recognized it as the place (Name) had paid attention to the night before.

"Oh." He says with a flat tone. "That's where (Name)-" Teabags suddenly came flying in the Ace's direction, forcing him to take cover.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT!" Leon's face was bright red. "You have to cover that up! Here! I'm going to text (Name) and see if she has any cosmetics that'll-" Leon is cut off with a simple question.

"Why?" Wakatoshi lowered his arms as an exasperated look crossed Leon's face.

"Because no matter what, when people see that, they KNOW what you did! It can be taken wrong!" Leon flustered to spell anything correctly on his phone. "Okay, look, it may not fluster you, but it sure as hell will fluster (Name)! People will know she did that to you!" A gear clicked in Wakatoshi's head. People will know. People will know who his heart belongs to. People will know how serious their relationship is. Leon knew that look in his eyes, and he began shaking his head.

"Then I don't want to cover it." Wakatoshi proclaimed. Leon dragged a hand down his face.

"You have to. There is no choice about this, Wakatoshi."

"There is a choice. I just made it. I'm not covering it." Stubborn ox.

"Wakatoshi," Leon reached for a scarf that (K/Name)'s roommate had knit for him. "You're going to cover it." Leon snapped the scarf like a whip, making Wakatoshi realize the mortality of his situation. He needed to get ready, and ready fast if he was going to outrun Leon. Wakatoshi dove into his room, quickly locking it before Leon could jump him. "YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN! ONCE YOU'RE DONE GETTING READY I'LL BE WAITING RIGHT HERE!" Leon screamed at the door, causing Wakatoshi to look around. Was there another way?

Wheels began to turn when he laid his eyes on his window. A tree rested some of its branches against the glass, and it would be just wide enough for him to shimmy out of. He knew Leon would patiently wait for him to get ready, he wasn't impulsive like Satori or Hayato were, so he couldn't just juke him as he came into his room. More likely than not Leon had already locked the front door.

He had never done this before, but there was a first for everything. Just like with (Name).

Wakatoshi quickly donned his uniform, making sure not to tie his tie too tightly, allowing his beloved mark that (Name) gave him to breathe. Once he was ready, he grabbed his bag and opened his window. Surprisingly, the window opened wider than he thought, allowing him to comfortably fit through.

(Name) was blissfully walking through the morning past the dorms. She had to go over the budget with the coaches this morning, so she got up early and put together some notes for them to go over. She let out a small yawn when she heard rustling in the tree above her. Usually, she would brush off such rustling as a bird or cat, but this sounded far larger than a cat. She began to lazily glance up but jumped when Wakatoshi suddenly landed in front of her.

"WAKATOSHI!?" she yelped.

"Oh. Good morning (Name)." Before she could question him the many queries she had in her head, he swooped down, catching her lips with his. For a moment, she forgot about the scene that just proscribed. She let herself melt into him, giving him the slight pleasure of his warmth.

"USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI, YOU DIDN'T" Leon's screaming soon cut through their moment, reminding Wakatoshi that he was as good as a bandit on the run to Leon.

"I've gotta go. I love you." With a quick peck, Wakatoshi turns and runs from a very confused (Name). She stands there before looking up at where Leon once was and realized Wakatoshi's window was open.

"... WAIT." She began piecing things together. "He... HE DIDN'T." as soon as the thought passed her mind, Leon comes bursting out of the dorms, scarf in hand, chasing after her boyfriend.

"U-SHI-JI-MA WA-KA-TO-SHIIIIII!" Leon screams running full speed in an attempt to catch the moron. (Name) got a feeling in the pit of her stomach, that whatever was happening, Leon was in the right.

"I should check on that after my meeting." (Name) sighed. She can't fight them all, so her battles will have to be pick and choose.

"I'm surprised you're up this early, Satori. You never get breakfast with me." Eita remarks as he walks to the mess hall with his drained roommate beside him. Eita had decided that he needed to keep a special eye on Satori, but he didn't expect it to be this easy. When Eita had gotten up that morning, Satori was already awake on their shared couch, scrolling through his phone. Eita didn't know exactly how long the boy had been up, but he would spare him a scolding for now.

"Eh. I was hungry." a surprising response for a boy who eats like a bird. Just as Eita was about to respond, he hears the distant voice of Leon and the closer padding of running feet.

"SATORI, EITA, INTERCEPT WAKATOSHI!" The two lankier volleyball players look on in surprise and confusion, but they do as Leon asks with a simple step in Wakatoshi's way, slowing the ox before them.

Just as Wakatoshi was about to dash left, Leon finally tackles the boy, pinning him to the ground and nearly choked Wakatoshi out with the daintily knitted scarf.

"Taking up a new sport?" Satori jokes as he watches Leon tie the scarf in a neat bow on the back of Wakatoshi's neck. Wakatoshi immediately began tugging at it but to no avail.

"If keeping Wakatoshi from doing stupid things is a sport, we're all on a team together." Leon huffed as he caught his breath. He'd forgotten how much stamina his roommate had.

"What stupid thing are you preventing? Him catching a cold?" Eita questions as he places a hand on his hip. Wakatoshi had given up on removing the scarf and was now silently brooding.

"I thought morons didn't catch colds." Satori quipped, and Eita nodded.

"Explains why we never get sick." Satori shot him a finger gun before looking back at the exhausted Leon. "So why the chase? Wakatoshi what did you do?"

"It's more of what (Name) did..." Leon finally began to breathe normally. He began to fluster as he leaned forward and finally filled in his teammates as to why he just strangled Wakatoshi with a scarf. "He has... A hickey."

Leon's soft voice was a stark contrast to Eita and Satori's screams.

"YEAH WAKATOSHI, GET IT!" Satori began to laugh like an idiot while Eita tried to muffle him.

"Dude! Don't scream that! That'll make things worse!" Satori continued to laugh and cackle as Leon pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just get breakfast." Leon ushers the trio into the mess hall, just wanting to get the day over with.

(Name) began looking over her text that she missed that morning, most from Leon. her face warped with confusion as she looked at her phone while sitting at her desk. Leon wasn't there yet, so she couldn't ask him in person what he meant.

 **7:11 am** **Leon:** concert car

 **Leon:** do you hard

 **Leon:** HAVE

 **Leon:** convert up!

 **Leon:** the mackerel!

(Name) scrunched her nose again as she read over the somewhat panicky string of texts. She didn't see a reason to reply now, as he would be there within minutes.

Speak of the devil, a tired Leon enters the classroom with books in hand. He seemed far more tired than usual.

"Oh, Leon, there you are." (Name) welcomes her classmate as he sits down in the desk next to her.

"There we go, Good morning! How are ya?" (Name) held back a giggle at Leon's old habit.

"I'm good, I just went over the grocery budget with the coaches, they seem to be pleased with what I have."

"Ah, that's a relief! I was worried when I heard we got the grocery punishment." (Name) shakes her head at her teammate.

"Nothing to fear, I've got it." (Name) smirked as she then pulls up her phone. "Speaking of things I have, what the hell is a Concert car, a convert up, and my personal favorite" (Name) shimmies her hands to emphasize Leon's typos "The mackerel! Do you want Mackerel in your meals? I'm afraid it's a bit late for that-" Leon then places a swift hand on (Name)'s shoulder, allowing her to hear his hushed whispers.

"No, (Name), that's a more serious matter..." Leon's face was pale, and his eyes glassy. (Name) immediately became more concerned and listened closely. "Are you aware that you gave Wakatoshi... A hickey?"

(Name)'s face exploded in a flurry of reds and pinks. The heat of her cheeks almost made steam arise, and her tongue was caught in her throat, making incoherent choking noises.

"I did!?" She managed to spit out in a hushed tone. Leon nodded to keep others from becoming curious in their conversation.

"What's worse is that Wakatoshi is being stubborn about covering it up. That's what you saw this morning." (Name) slammed her forehead against her desk.

"That's what he jumped out a window over?!" How was she in love with this man.

"So do you have any make-up on you? I have him covered for now with a scarf, but he can't wear a scarf for practice!" Leon pleaded.

"You think I just carry that stuff around with me? I don't have a lot to begin with!"

"I don't know! I don't... girl!" (Name) then perked up. She had a thought.

"But I know someone who does."

 **7:50 am** **(Name):** heeeyyyy Soekawa???? This is a really weird thing to ask about, but uhhh

 **(Name):** Do you have concealer? Like the make up??

 **Soekawa:**... I hate that you came to me for that. I also equally hate that the answer is yes. I do.

 **(Name):** wow, I thought this was going to be a long shot. Can you bring it to practice?

 **Soekawa:** Yeah, sure. I just have to dig it up from the stuff my sister left me. Who's it for? You, right? Idk if it'll be your shade or not.

 **(Name):** It's not for me, but just bring it.

 **Soekawa:**??? alright? Is it for (K/Name)? Like I said, don't know if it's her shade

 **(Name):** STOP ASKING QUESTIONS AND JUST BRING IT

With the final blast of caps, Soekawa got the message and didn't ask any more questions... directly. His curiosity got the better of him all throughout his class, making it difficult for him to focus.

Finally practice came around. (Name) began to nervously pace as Leon, Satori, and Eita stalled the giant brooding ace that (Name) called her boyfriend. He wanted to take the scarf off now, and reveal to the world who he belonged to. (Name) patiently waited for her boyfriend in the club room with concealer in hand.

Wakatoshi walked into the club room to see a very exasperated and tired (Name). She gave him a pout that rivaled (K/Name)'s and he knew he was in trouble. Leon must have told her everything.

"Ushijima Wakatoshi... did you seriously jump out a window to avoid covering a hickey!?" (Name) ran a hand through her soft hair. "You could have gotten hurt!" She sighs as she looks down at the concealer again. "But... you do need to cover it up you know..." (Name)'s face burned. She had no idea that she even gave him one, and it was embarrassing. Wakatoshi started to see where Leon was coming from, (Name)'s bright red face was a testament to this.

But no matter how embarrassed she was, he didn't want to cover it.

"No." He said simply.

"You can't just say no, Wakatoshi! It's- It's really embarrassing having people look at that and then realizing who's responsible! So for me, just cover it!" (Name) had slid her hands up Wakatoshi's arms, beginning to make work on the knot Leon had made.

He watched her intensely, making her red face even worse.

"I don't see it that way." He finally spoke up, causing (Name) to shudder slightly. His hands had found the small of her back, and he was giving her a loving gaze. (Name) had gotten the knot undone, allowing the scarf to fall to the side, revealing the mark that Wakatoshi had begrudgingly hidden all day. "I want people to know we're together. I want them to know you're with me, and only me." (Name)'s eyes widened. This was surprisingly... romantic.

"W-Wakatoshi..." (Name) began to feel a twinge of guilt. She understood now. This wasn't about just the action, it was about the conditions that led to it. Their bond, their love, that's what he saw. It was sweet. "But if you want me to, I'll cover it." (Name)'s eyes flitted back up to her lovers. "On one condition."

"Condition?" (Name) furrowed her brow slightly, but she then felt a shot of pleasure run through her as Wakatoshi attacked the all too familiar sensitive spot on her neck. "Wakatoshi!" She gasped.

"I'll cover mine, so long as you wear yours." His husky voice sent a shiver through (Name). She couldn't resist. She couldn't say no. She couldn't say stop even though she knew anyone could walk into the club room at any time.

She wanted to fulfill his wish.

(Name) finally let out a soft moan, she knew she wasn't getting away from him until he was done, so she decided to melt into his touch. Everything about his affection was soft. It was a stark contrast to how people saw him on the court. There, he was a monster, a beast, but here, he was just a man. He was soft, loving, caring. Checking on her constantly, getting his way in adorable manners.

She thought before she was drowning in him, but he was quickly becoming the air she breathed. 

She couldn't even think about covering the mark she left on Wakatoshi, let alone the one Wakatoshi was giving her.

Matching marks brought about by their intense feelings for each other. 


	44. Time like smoke

(Name) stepped into the kitchen suite rather impressed. The room was large, too large for just her and (K/Name), so it hardly seemed like a punishment that she was set up to be here. She sighed as she brought in some of the groceries. This was still Shiratorizawa she was talking about here.

(K/Name) was busily putting things away in the fridge, her complexion seemed far better than it did yesterday. It was hard to believe that the once flighty and flakey (K/Name) was working this hard through intense emotional strife. Nostalgic scenes hit (Name) as she remembered how (K/Name) used to just cry and cry while (Name) stroked her hair and back.

It almost made her cry.

"... (Name)-senpai? Are you okay? You're tearing up," (K/Name)'s gentle voice brought (Name) back to reality.

"Oh! Yeah! Just fine! Oh, here! Let me help with that, must be heavy!" (Name) began swooping in, but (K/Name) kept it from her

"Noooooo! You've got to look over the plan right?" (K/Name) attempted to play keep away.

"I can look at it in a bit! Let me help!" (Name) dashed to the other side of her, causing (K/Name) to yelp.

"I've got it!" (K/Name) giggled as she turned again,

"Quit being naughty!" (Name) laughed as she gripped the smaller manager from behind.

"Never!" She's learned too much from Satori. (Name) finally had enough and just lifted the entire assistant manager. "Whoa!"

"Ha ha! Now I've got you both!"

"Nooooo!" (K/Name) whined through a giggle. (Name)'s voice soon joined hers as the chorus of laughter could be heard throughout the suite.

(Name) spun (K/Name) around before finally noticing that they had visitors. Their laughter stops when they notice a phone camera pointed directly at them. Soekawa, Leon, and Eita were all standing there, clutching their chests at the cute scene between the two managers.

"Sorry we were creeping, but we didn't want to interrupt," Eita admits through a cuteness overload. (Name) can only laugh as (K/Name) shuffled her feet and pouted a little.

"Semi-Senpaiiii, delete that!" she whined a little before bravely striding over to her senior, lifting her hands to his phone. He easily held the phone out of her reach, giving her a bit of an apologetic smile.

"Sorry (K/Name), but this is just too cute!" (Name) walked over to be next to Leon before crossing her arms. She gave a knowing smile to Leon before looking back at Eita.

"You know, Eita, before she was your manager, she was a volleyball player." Eita cocked his head at the all-knowing (Name), not noticing how (K/Name) was bending her knees with a laser focus on his phone. "She can jump."

Eita suddenly understood what she meant when (K/Name) rocketed past his face and aimed for his phone. He only just jerked back in time to avoid her getting her grips on the precious recording device, causing him to stumble back slightly. She can jump higher than he thought.

"Semi-Senpaiiiii!" She whined again, but it wasn't like her normal whines. This one was more... threatening.

Eita dashed into the room, quickly leaping across furniture and evading the swifter-than-he-thought (K/Name). (Name) watched proudly as (K/Name) gave Eita a run for his money.

"Someone seems happy." Soekawa walked to be on the other side of (Name) as she held her hand to her chest.

"She's growing. Do you see it?" her blissful tone was a stark contrast to the chaos brewing in the manager's suite.

"I think we all see it, but you have to be the proudest, (Name)," Leon replied as Soekwawa nods.

"I just feel bad that I couldn't teach her anything to spur the sudden growth. The notes she takes are impeccable, and look at her social growth!" Eita was carefully balancing on a chair, holding his phone as high above his head as he could. (K/Name) was debating if a jump would bring harm to her, or Eita. "Something like this was impossible months ago, and now she's joking around, being energetic,"

"Has a boyfriend that ran when she said she loved him..." Leon let out quietly. (Name) turned to him with a more confident smile.

"Yeah but we got that, right? You guys always had Wakatoshi's back, how hard can it be to have Satori's?" both Soekawa and Leon gave (Name) a closed-mouth grimace. "Okay quit that. We're helping him."

"Right." they both grunt before they all witness (K/Name)'s successful jump to grab Eita's phone. 

"Ah. She got it."

The next day, (Name) is accompanied to the water fountains by both Wakatoshi and Satori. Satori is still not on good terms with Taichi, and he forbids him from being close to (K/Name) in certain situations. No matter how much bitching and whining Kenjiro made, Satori easily bent to the will of the protective older brother. He tagged along with (Name) to keep out of the vicinity of (K/Name) and appease Taichi.

Wakatoshi was there because of the curse.

"It's not a curse." (Name) argued as she walked along the crowded hallway of nationals. "It's just a lot of unfortunate coincidental events that happen at the water fountains." (Name) tried to reason, but Satori's scoff didn't help.

"Sounds like a curse to me!" He joked, but it only fuels Wakatoshi.

"What if you get another proposal,"

"That was one time, a fluke" (Name) dismissed.

"What about strange boys offering you their phone number?"

"You know those strange boys now, and they know better than to try and tease me when I'm mad."

"An old rival,"

"Shirogane's gonna leave me alone after the whole Oikawa incident! I don't know anyone else who would deliberately want to hurt me like that."

"A child?"

"Wakatoshi!"

"Wow, you guys are super flirty today, tone it down will ya?" Satori laughed at the bickering couple. They did this out of love for one another, and the fact that Wakatoshi wouldn't know what to do with himself if something happened to (Name), but (Name)'s too stubborn at times to let him care for her. (Name) blushed slightly before she began filling the water bottles. Was this his form of flirting? It's hard to tell sometimes. Wakatoshi doesn't flirt. He acts and expects his emotions to be conveyed. At times they are, and it sends (Name) reeling, but other times it's hard to pick out. (Name) decides to calm herself before giving Wakatoshi a reassuring smile. She felt bad. Even now at his worst, Satori was still looking out for the two of them. She wanted to help him somehow but didn't know how.

She wished that something could just miraculously hit her, like an idea or a plan.

The forces of the world, however, interpreted her wish literally.

Satori perked his head up as he heard a commotion nearby. Girls screaming and the distinct sound of small wheels on a floor they're not supposed to be on. He didn't know why, but he had an overwhelming urge to say something to (Name). Call it a guess.

"Look out! (Name)!" (Name) whipped her head up to see a boy barreling towards her on a skateboard. He had Chestnut brown hair held back with all sorts of hair clips and accessories, and his high velocity was due to his skateboard. His eyes had only just snapped back to reality when they lock with hers. He was on a one-way crash course with (Name).

"WhoAOAOOOA! CAN'T STOP!" He cries out, and (Name) braces herself, but Wakatoshi acts fast. He rips the boy off his skateboard, causing the far less dangerous piece of lone equipment to curve around (Name). Her heart was beating fast, and she stared at the boy who was careless enough to zone out while skateboarding in the middle of a stadium. She then shifted her attention to Wakatoshi. He was furious.

"Whoa! Nice save, Wakatoshi..." Satori let out a sigh of relief. (Name) was unharmed, but the boy seemed to have something else on his mind. Satori's voice struck something within him. A spark. A memory.

"Sa-chan!" The nickname caused Satori to whip his head up in disbelief. Only one person calls him that name, and he hasn't seen him in years. There's no way. "I found you! I've been-" Said boy finally decided to look behind him at the person holding him a good few inches off the ground. His face paled as his once exuberant brown eyes darkened. If looks could kill, Wakatoshi would have murdered the whole stadium by now, but it was all focused on this one boy. "Muh... Muh..." His eyes twitch, and (Name) finally snapped out of her daze when the boy screams. "MONSTER DON'T HURT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

After thoroughly convincing Wakatoshi she's okay, he finally put down the boy who seemed to know Satori. He's shaken up, but determined.

"Sa-chan, you have some pretty scary friends now, huh?" his laid-back tone returned to him as he spoke to Satori. (Name) made a note on how the two seemed close.

"I can't believe it! Hiroto?" Satori's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas day. "It's been years!" despite the time they've spent apart, Satori quickly embraces the boy that almost crashed into (Name).

"HOW DID YOU GET SO TALL! That so isn't fair!" Hiroto complained lightly as he returned the hug.

"Ah, you always were the type to not drink your milk!" Satori teases, but Hiroto laughs at him.

"You barely ate! You're a beanpole at best!" Hiroto shoves his shoulder into Satori, and he lets out a jovial laugh. A laugh that neither Wakatoshi or (Name) had heard in a while.

"So what on earth are you doing here!?" Satori seemed refreshed by the wiley skateboarding boy, and (Name) had so many questions.

"Ahem," (Name) clears her throat to catch the attention of both of the wild boys before her. Wakatoshi rests his hand casually on (Name)'s waist. He's still a little peeved that Hiroto almost crashed into (Name), but he was glad Satori was acting like his old self. He calmed down even further when (Name) leaned into him slightly.

Hiroto winced, of course he almost barreled into the girl with the scariest boyfriend here.

"So, who's this, Satori?" (Name) questioned with a broad smile on her face. Satori rests his arm on Hiroto's shoulder before pointing at his companion

"This bastard is an old friend of mine! We used to be inseparable, watching anime on Saturdays and falling off skateboards..." Satori stops before smiling "Wait, that was you!" Hiroto shoves off the arm before retaliating

"Yeah we did all that stuff, but he left out getting hit in the face with volleyballs." he then feigns being in thought before having a 'realization' "oh wait," It's Satori's turn to jab Hiroto, and the duo do nothing but laugh. "Maaaaaaaaaan it's been a long time,"

"You're telling me," Satori laughed again.

"I sense chaos." (Name) whispered to her boyfriend, who only nodded.

"So you didn't answer my question, not that I'm not happy to see you, but WHAT are you doing here?" Satori asked again, and Hiroto seemed to lose steam. He rubbed the back of his head, catching one of the many clips in his hair.

"Uh... call it instinct. I haven't seen you in a long time, but" Hiroto placed the clip back in his hair, pulling back some of his bangs with it. "I don't know man, something felt off. I had this weird dream, and then I went looking at your social media, and then my sister yelled at me, and I saw you have a girlfriend, and all this other stuff and I was like man I wonder how you're doing, but then I saw my bastard junior here today which REALLY concerns me because all he cares about is BASKETBALL, like why would he be here at a volleyball tournament, and then there were these vines and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, Hiro!" Satori stopped his friend "You had a dream about me?" (Name) and Wakatoshi could only raise a brow. Only Satori would have a friend like this.

"Yeah I know, sounds totally anime cliche but I TOTALLY DID!" Hiroto gripped Satori's arms, "it was like... super weird bro. I got worried. Look, man, I know I haven't seen you in ages, but it really scared me, I was worried about you and I was worried that something was happening like back then, something I couldn't protect you from, and now I'm just rambling like a crazy idiot not even knowing if you're okay or not, probably making an ass of myself-" Before Hiroto can finish, Satori takes him into another hug.

"It's good to see you again, man." (Name)'s heart went soft when she saw how relieved Satori is to see his longtime friend.

"You know, moments like this make me think the water fountains aren't cursed." (Name) smiled at Wakatoshi, who could only soften his eyes back at her.

After all the water bottles were filled, Hiroto agreed to hang out in the stands with (K/Name). She was hesitant of him, but (K/Name) quickly warmed up to him when she realized he shared all the same interests Satori did.

The game went by without a hitch, as (K/Name) predicted, the team relies heavily on their setter and often finds themselves in a bind when blockers read his movements. (Name) was pleased. She had to admit, she, like some of the second years, had a weakness, and that was they worked on their instincts. Research was harder for both of them, but it came as easy as breathing for (K/Name).

"That brain hard at work." (Name) smiled again as the last point came crashing down on the opposing court.

After the games, Satori goes off to find his friend as free time was given to the team. Their hotel was within walking distance, and the second years knew the way. (Name) wanted to wait for (K/Name) before heading back, as did Taichi. He was still wary of Satori, but he was starting to become more comfortable with. Kenjiro also kept the boy in check, surprisingly on the side of (K/Name). (Name) was proud of his growth.

"She still isn't back..." Taichi yawns. Kenjiro was casually scrolling through social media on his phone.

"Then go back to the hotel by yourself. She's a big girl." (Name) let out a small laugh

"And yet you're here too, Kenjiro." (Name) lifted herself up and stretched slightly as Kenjiro began muttering excuses. "But I hope she gets back soon, I need to start preparing dinner." Kenjiro suddenly perked up.

"I'll find her." Kenjiro jumped up off the lounge chair to the surprise of most of the 2nd years. (Name) smiled.

"Momma's boy..." Taichi teased. "I'm gonna wait here just in case you can't find her."

"I want (Name)-senpai's cooking. I'll find her." Leon and Eita laugh.

"He's really warmed up to you, (Name)!" Eita teased as Kenjiro flustered and ran off. "Your motherly charm turns the wildest of beasts into puppies." (Name) leaned into Wakatoshi and laughed again.

"If that's true, explain Satori."

Leon Shrugged "There's always a trouble child or two." and (Name) laughed again. She's always been used to being told her teammates are her children, but this was a first for Wakatoshi. Back in middle school, he was just the cannon. Someone relied on for physical strength and victory. It wasn't uncomfortable for him to be viewed as dad in a joking manner, but it was new. Was he supposed to protect them? Comfort them?

"Wakatoshi, you're thinking long and hard about something and it has me worried." Leon piped in, but Wakatoshi shook his head.

"I'm still curious if I should take on a more paternal role or not."

"That's up to you," (Name) smiled at him.

"Where would I even start..." Wakatoshi muttered, and most of the second years sweat.

"He's putting way too much thought into it" Hayato gave a wry smile.

"He wouldn't be our Miracle boy if he didn't" Eita argued back.

"If you're really so concerned about this, next year I think I know someone who would happily be taken under your wing." (Name) smiles as she remembered a little junior of hers. Leon looked at her with a questioning look.

"Don't get his hopes up, you know how hard it is to get on first-string."

"I have no doubt that he'll make it." (Name) rested her head on Wakatoshi's shoulder, "His play style is very similar to Wakatoshi's, and I think he would be a good fit for the team."

"Awww, this will be your first kid together!" Hayato teased, but (Name) looked too far into the implications. Her face flushed and she immediately sat up straight. Wakatoshi gave Hayato a bit of a glare. "... Whoops."

As Hayato apologized to Wakatoshi and (Name), (Name) had a sudden feeling in her chest. Time was moving fast, and people she once babied are growing. Her third year was just on the horizon,

But these moments made her wish that time was something she could grasp. Something she could hold onto and stop, something like a closet that she could open and sit in for all eternity.

To her, time was like smoke, and she used to appreciate that. Back when she thought she was never going to play again, she wished for time to flow around her until her time with the boys was up, but now, she hoped for the opposite. Her fingers were running through memories she was making now, and she only wanted to grip them and keep them close.

Snapping her out of her yearning to stop time, something she can grip grabbed her hand. Wakatoshi was still bantering back and forth with the rest of the team, but he had subconsciously grabbed for (Name)'s hand.

(Name) smiled and squeezed his hand slightly. Time was something that scared her, but maybe he made it a little better.

"People keep telling me to name a child after them..." (Name) tuned back in at that comment. "If I name a child after each of them, that requires multiple children..." (Name) choked.

Or maybe not. 


	45. Strings

(Name) sat with Kenjiro in front of her. Her fingers laced together as she stared a hole into his head. His dinner had been set to the side, and the two were alone in the manager's suite.

"So tell me again...." (Name)'s tone was exasperated. "HOW did you end up punching someone while looking for (K/Name)?" She lowered her hands into her lap

Kenjiro lowered his head. He had always been in (Name)'s good graces, being scolded was something entirely different. He felt guilty that he did something to cause trouble for (Name). As much as he hated being called it, he was indeed a mama's boy.

"...Kobayashi Itsuki was hurting (K/Name)." He muttered. He was definitely in trouble for acting impulsively, she was probably going to tell the coach to take him off the team for a little bit. He definitely won't be allowed to play for the rest of the season.

As he sunk into thoughts of not being able to play for the rest of the tournament, he's taken into an embrace. His head was cradled by (Name)'s hand, and his back supported by her other hand.

"What is it with you two and punching people over hurting (K/Name)," She saw how he was beginning to panic, and she didn't want him to fear anymore. "You're okay, I was just worried about what on earth got you so riled up." Kenjiro allows himself to be soothed by (Name). He really was a mama's boy when it came to her. "I'm going to keep this information from the coaches, but please just don't make me worry like that."

"Okay..." He felt his eyelids droop. All the emotional turmoil inside him had dropped in an instant, and the mix of him playing volleyball all day and that created a rush of fatigue like no other.

By the time (Name) noticed, Kenjiro had been asleep for about 30 seconds. (Name) smiled before texting Wakatoshi about her situation. He was a little miffed that Kenjiro had just fallen asleep on her like that, but he did his best to keep his jealousy in check.

Once he entered the room, he was greeted by (Name)'s smile.

"Hey," She whispered. "Help me move him to the couch."

With some subtle shifting, Kenjiro was moved from (Name)'s embrace to being curled up on the couch in the Manager's suite. With a peaceful sigh, Wakatoshi glanced back at (Name), who was carefully unfolding a blanket.

"Did you talk with him?"

"I did, he was protecting (K/Name)." (Name) gently draped the blanket over Kenjiro before doing one final check on him.

"I see." Wakatoshi looked at the resting Kenjiro with a bit of pause. The boy was hardly the antisocial and aggressive first-year he came on the team as.

Wakatoshi then reconsidered. Punching a boy was highly aggressive, so maybe Kenjiro didn't change that much. He just redirected his aggression. All at once. To someone's face.

"I'll do my best to keep them in better line as captain," Wakatoshi promised the motherly manager as she gently headbutted his chest. His hands instinctively stroked her hair.

"I have no doubt you'll do great as captain, but I don't mind the crazy. It's what makes the team feel more like home." She did her best to keep her voice low and hush as Kenjiro took his much-needed nap.

"How so?"   
"How can you of all people say that to me, from hiding in Leon's room to throwing laundry at one another, jumping out of windows and sending Satori to dig up information, you guys have always been crazy." She smiled as she leaned back into Wakatoshi's hand. His large calloused palm easily encased her cheek.

"I suppose." He then began to think, which (Name) quickly picked up on. "Have you rested yet? You should lay down before your knee acts up."

There it was. She was wondering when her gentle giant would resurface. He was no longer in tournament mode, nor was he in guard dog mode. He was so easy for her to read sometimes, but his gestures still always came as a surprise.

"I can lay down right now." She knew there was no fighting him. Especially after such a busy day. She let out a subtle sigh before walking towards the kitchenette.

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to lay down." Wakatoshi had stopped her by reaching out and gently pulling her arm.

"I was going to grab the pain medicine, my knee is acting up a bit-" She couldn't even finish before Wakatoshi began briskly walking towards the cabinets

"I've got it. Go lay down."

With a bit of a huff, (Name) shook her head before obeying. She shuffled into the add on suite, spotting the two twin beds that she and (K/Name) had used for the tournaments. She sat on the edge of the bed she had claimed as her own and rolled up her pant leg to reveal the black brace. She was dying to have it off.

As she begins to remove it, Wakatoshi enters the room with a glass of water and a bottle of all too familiar red and blue capsules. He gently kicked the door shut behind him, then walked over to (Name)'s side.

"Here," He handed off the pill bottle to (Name) while she took a break from unstrapping the brace that held her knee together. After unscrewing the cap and shaking two meds into her hand, she gave the bottle back to Wakatoshi before accepting the glass of water from him. She quickly tilted her head back and took large gulps of water, making sure she didn't taste even the tiniest bit of bitterness from the medicine.

Wakatoshi took this opportunity to observe the brace up close. (Name) did her best to hide it under long pants, and would always avoid wearing it in school, which concerned him at times. He knew the surgery would help her, but she wasn't getting better with the braces.

"Thank you, Wakatoshi." (Name) stated, bringing his attention back to her face. She began to work on unlatching her brace again, filling the comfortable silence between them with the sound of velcro. Once it slid off, (Name) let out a relieved sigh as she placed it on the ground near the bed. She then turned her attention to Wakatoshi and held her arms outstretched towards him. At first, he was confused. "You're still here, so come cuddle me." She admitted.

Giving her a small smile, he nodded, placing the pill bottle down on a nightstand and fully embraced (Name). He slid one arm under her neck, snaking it back around to cradle her head, while the other laid over her waist, hand pressed against her back. She curled up against his chest, both hands gently grasping the front of his shirt. Their legs interlocked, creating a knot of limbs and happy sighs. (Name) felt a firm kiss on the top of her head.

"Are you staying in the dorms again? For the break." Wakatoshi asked gently, knowing that time was coming around again.

"I, unfortunately, need to go home and prepare for the surgery. Dad's being slightly neurotic about it." (Name) admitted before giving Wakatoshi's jaw a quick peck. Wakatoshi then looked down at (Name) with confusion. Her father? Neurotic? "He's getting anxious about all sorts of things, and is starting to express so by over planning." She replied in an attempt to answer Wakatoshi's silent question.

"So long as things go smoothly," Wakatoshi replied and gave another kiss to the top of her head.

"But... they know about you, so you can... y'know..." (Name) curled back up into Wakatoshi's chest, "Visit." She had no idea why she was being shy about it. There was nothing to hide anymore, so why was the prospect of Wakatoshi visiting over the break so... nerve-wracking?

"I was going to visit regardless," Wakatoshi admitted, stunning (Name).

"You were?" she furrowed her brow. "I mean I'm happy, but Wakatoshi, what would you have done if you couldn't stay for long? That's a 2 hour trip by train,"

"Then I see you and go home. I don't see what the problem is." Wakatoshi put his words so simply that they were hard to argue against. To him, he just wanted to see her. (Name) took a deep breath before once again curling up tighter against Wakatoshi.

"How do you do this to me..."

"Am I hurting you? Do I need to move?"

"No, you're fine! You're fine! Stay!" (Name) clung to Wakatoshi, keeping him in place. "I'm just... I thought that would be too much if you couldn't stay, but I'll try and work something out... I think Grandpa likes you." She grimaced slightly. At least she thought her grandfather didn't hate him.

"I'm intrigued to see how your grandfather trains, You said he played nationally before, correct?" 

(Name) placed another set of kisses along his jaw before answering. "Yes, but his methods might be a bit harsh."

"It's how he trained you, correct?" He easily returned a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm his precious granddaughter, He automatically went easier on me." (Name) lifted her face up slightly to catch a kiss that was meant for her forehead. The sweet kiss only lasted for a few seconds before they parted.

"I still want to see you." He proclaimed, causing a smile to cross (Name)'s face.

"I know, I know, knowing you, you'd jog all the way there and call it training." She let out another content sigh before closing her eyes.

The delicate moment hung in the air, supported by what only seemed like strings, but the strings were far stronger than they appeared. As they weaved in and out of the scene, their true colors began to show. Brilliant red wrapped around the intertwined bodies of both (Name) and Wakatoshi, knotting and tangling together with each sweet gesture.

The two continued to chat idly, speaking of their plans for the offseason, and the hypothetical new year. With each topic, they planned more and more together or involved the team.

It's hard to believe that it would soon be over.


	46. Third Year

The spring air of the new school year drifted through the campus as the clambering of new students roamed the grounds. The familiar path led worn shoes towards a spectacular gym, and inside, a gentle figure stood. Her hair tied up to keep it out of her face, but the gentle wind played with the ends of it regardless. A bittersweet smile lined her lips as she looked down at the names for the first string. Names familiar and new crossed her iris as she scanned the expected jersey number for each of them.

At the top of the list, her heart fluttered.   
"Ushijima Wakatoshi, captain." The two seem to fit so well together. "Let's make this final year our best." Clutching the clipboard close to her chest, she took a deep breath. "Let's win nationals. Let's play the longest."

Several sakura petals from neighboring trees blew into the gym, landing atop the pine floors. Their silky flesh was as delicate as the moment (Name) was currently having.

A pair of eyes watch her. Intense with the feelings of love and passion he held for her. He almost didn't want to disturb her, but his desire to touch her overwhelmed him as he gently strode into the gym. She didn't notice at first, but his large hands quickly informed her of his presence, and (Name) whipped her head around to the gentle smile of Wakatoshi.

"Oh!" She at first squeaks. "I didn't notice you come in, sorry," She gives a smile to him, but on the clipboard, she held close to her chest, he could see what was on her mind. Written wishfully at the top, the words "Play the longest" were neatly scratched in and underlined.

Memories of how the others tried to comfort him with the notion of having 3 years with (Name) came flooding back, and back then it seemed like all the time in the world, but now, it felt like mere seconds.

"I'll make sure of it." He states cryptically, and (Name) quizzically tilts her head. "We'll be together the longest." the satin blush of the fragrant sakura made a guest appearance on (Name)'s face. She nods and pumps her fists slightly.

"Of course we will be, I have no doubt in your abilities. I trust you all to take us far." (Name) was able to catch a glimpse of Wakatoshi's thought process before he acted on his impulses and swooped in for a quick kiss. She barely had enough time to react before he felt satisfied for the time being and began walking over to a ball cart. (Name) was left reeling, but she did her best to quickly compose herself once again as the fresh second years came streaming in and her fellow third years. The peace of the gym is broken but replaced with jokes, jabs, and laughter. The sight of it made (Name)'s heart full.

She then turns her attention to (K/Name) who happily hops up to her with a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Heya (Name)-senpai!" the younger girl chirped.

"(K/Name), how are you?" She questions as (K/Name) places the bag of drink mixes down on the bench, her junior would be working with the first years today, all except for the ones that miraculously made it to first string. She had been hearing from Coach Washijo that he believes this is his worst batch yet, so he assigned (K/Name) to toughen them up some. (Name) would have laughed at something like that just over a year ago, but now, she truly believed the little rabbit could handle herself against anyone.

"AIEE! Wakatoshi-kuuuuun! Your spike almost snapped my arms off!" Satori whined as he shook his arms out. "(K/Naaame)! Kiss them and make them better! I bet they won't get bruises if you give them bunny kisses!"

(K/Name) ended up dropping an entire bag of drink mix as Satori beamed proudly from the court. This display of affection only causes the team to give a mix of deadpan looks and irritated brow to Satori.

"Why does Satori get to have a girlfriend?" Eita began spinning a ball between his fingers, debating whether to aim his next serve at the redhead.

"No clue, but it kinda pisses me off sometimes..." Hayato chimed in, cracking his knuckles.

"Hey! So Wakatoshi can show off how lovey-dovey he is, but I can't?" Satori retorted, causing Leon to snort.

"We worked hard on that one, you jumped in this one on your own."

"Yeah it's kinda like watching the kid you taught how to walk, participate in a race," Soekawa adds as he fishes another ball out of the cart. Kenjiro scoffs next to him.

"It was Kawanishi, (K/Name) and I that did the matchmaking." His smug face set off Eita.

"Oi. If it wasn't for us, Wakatoshi would have said he liked her in the first year right around this time. We did things too!"

(Name) perked up, and turned her attention to her boyfriend. "Wait, what?"

Wakatoshi only shrugged. "I didn't see the point in keeping it a secret."

"Miracle boy, Wakatoshi!" Satori proclaimed, earning a laugh from (K/Name). (Name) sighed before shaking her head. She spied a rogue volleyball on its way out the door and dashed to grab it.

"I swear, you guys have to be the most chaotic group I've ever met." She bends down, gently grasping the ball in her hands, and begins to rise up. "I don't know how this team could get any worse-" before she could finish, a blur sprints into the gym, connecting with (Name), and knocking her to the floor after tumbling several times over. The entire gym fell silent except for the heavy steps of a panicked Wakatoshi rushing over to see what the blur was. His panic, however, quickly faded to rage and anger as he saw what the culprit was.

A rather tall boy with a bowl cut had his arms wrapped around (Name).

"Ah! (Name)-nee-san! I'm sorry! I guess I'm too big to run tackle you anymore!" (Name)'s ears perked as she registered the voice. It was slightly deeper than what she remembered it as, but it was definitely him.

As she was registering this, however, both Wakatoshi and Kenjiro were getting ready to pounce on the boy that had recklessly run in and hugged (Name) out of nowhere. The rest of the team thought for certain that the boy was a goner.

(Name) however quickly sat up, took the back of the boy's head in her hand, then pushed it down into her shoulder while giving both Wakatoshi and Kenjiro a death glare.

"If either one of you harms a hair on Tsutomu's head and you'll be doing service suicide drills until you're gasping for mercy." Both boys stop in their tracks when they hear the threat.

"Uoh, it looks like they stopped mid gravity, that's stupid funny." Taichi lets out a chortle while Satori accompanied him with a chorus of giggles in the background.

"Tsutomu! I was wondering when you'd show up! You're the only first year that's on the first string right now!" (Name) ruffled the top of his head before embracing him once again. Both Wakatoshi and Kenjiro radiated dark energy as the newbie who they had barely seen two seconds of was getting all the attention in the world from (Name).

"Ah! Let me help you up, (Name)-nee-senpai!" Tsutomu popped up off the floor before assisting his beloved motherly figure. He had grown much taller since the last time (Name) saw him.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" Kenjiro bit, causing Tsutomu to turn and face the setter.

"It used to not phase her at all, sorry, I got excited. I guess I'm too big now..." Tsutomu nervously scratched the back of his head.

"You guess? You rammed into her like a raging bull!"

"Kenjiro, I'm okay." (Name) stepped in, then placed her hand on Tsutomu's back. "And I've gotten a little rusty is all, Tsutomu, don't feel bad."

"Did he hurt you?" Wakatoshi's tone was slightly agitated, but as (Name) moved about, it was apparent that she was fine.

"No, I'm okay, just surprised!" She took her hand from Tsutomu's back before walking over to Wakatoshi. "Wakatoshi, Kenjiro, everyone, this is Goshiki Tsutomu, he's a junior of mine, and starting today he's on the first string." (Name) proudly beams as the boy towers over her. His face said it all. He was just as proud to have been taught by the wonderful girl.

"I hope to work with all of you!" Tsutomu bows at the waist respectfully, before blurting out his goals. "I aim to become the ace of this team!"

Wakatoshi shifts his jaw slightly. He knew that Tsutomu had to have had some skill if he made it on the first string, but was slightly biased on his opinions of the boy. He would have to see him in action to truly take the boy seriously.

"What kind of nerve do you have? Saying something like that right in front of Ushijima-senpai..." Kenjiro snipped. "What's more, you're late, yet you come barreling in here like you own the place."

"I... got lost..." Tsutomu took the criticism rather harshly, he wasn't used to such a snide teammate.

"Sorry, that would be my fault, I forgot to give him directions this morning." Hayato swoops in to help, earning a nod from (Name). "I should have made sure you knew where to go before I left the dorms."

"Ah, yeah, I tried to text you, Yamagata-senpai, but you left your phone on the counter..." Tsutomu explained, holding up a very familiar phone. Hayato choked on air as he patted his pockets, searching for the very thing that was in Tsutomu's hands.

Yep. Tsutomu makes a great addition. 


	47. Cages

“Okay, last one!” Eita calls out to (Name), twirling a volleyball between his fingers as he lifts it out of the cart. (Name) grimaced slightly from the neatly painted line on the back of the Shiratorizawa gym court, then gave him a pout. “That isn’t going to work on me, you know!” 

“Just one more after this! Maybe even two! I can do it!” (Name) begged, but Eita waggled a finger at her. 

“As if! If I’m responsible for breaking you, I’m dead meat! I appreciate this practice a lot, but you gotta think about your knees!” Eita then spiked the ball against the ground absentmindedly as he watched a frustrated (Name). It was frustrating for him as well. As a setter, seeing a wing spiker and ace with such passion and drive was invigorating, and he wanted to keep setting up as many as she could smackdown, but he needed to think about her condition before his own selfish wants. 

This chance to practice with her was rare. With this simple training exercise, he could feel the golden aura she had. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Eita signaled, putting (Name) back into focus. Immediately, the court was her mountaintop. Wood and wax transfigured to craggy rock and snowy caps. The air became thin and invigorating, as a few feathers d’oro fluttered down. The ribbons of sunlight pulled (Name) towards the top, wrapping her in warmth, strength, and beauty. With no sense of fear, she puts her trust in her wings and leaps. 

Reeling back, she tenses her shoulder, then releases it all at once. 

Outside the gym, small sparrows that were picking at the ground were startled by the aggressive sound of that power, and flew away in a flock, leaving a multitude of feathers and down in their wake. As they flee into the sky, an eagle is forced back to the earth. She causes a ripple of reality, bringing her back to her situation. The volleyball she rocketed across the court was gingerly rolling across the opposite side of the court, but the feeling of it against her hand was fresh. There was that satisfying sting in her palm, but a painful one in her heart. 

“Nice, (Name)-” Eita began to compliment her but noticed the pain in her face. He was frozen for a second, but then scolded himself. How could he forget? How could he let himself get comfortable with her as just his manager? He placed a hand on the back of his neck before taking a deep breath. 

“Hey, can we do that again? It felt off.” Eita made up, causing (Name) to look up at him with a face of poorly contained excitement. “Just one more! Then we gotta see if that magazine is out, the one where they interviewed Wakatoshi,” 

“Oh, right, I almost forgot about that. He was so nonchalant about the whole interview. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just stats and achievements.” (Name) backpedaled to her normal spiking distance. 

“Makes sense, he isn’t exactly the type to revel in fame,” Eita points out before spinning a volleyball on his fingertips, “ready?” 

(Name) gave him one last nod before he tossed up the ball and set it into place, and once again, (Name) took flight. 

After cleaning up, (Name) and Eita met up with the rest of the third years, each busily digging through an edition of Volleyball monthly in Leon’s and Wakatoshi’s shared room. Each subtly nodded as they went through the stats, and some even gave a bit of a jealous grimace. 

“Man, they really made him look good, didn’t they?” Hayato mumbled as he flipped a page. 

“Regal too. Look how Ushijima-san looks here.” Jin points out, “they did a really nice job editing this…” 

“Are they already here?” (Name) questions as she walks in. Wakatoshi perks up from his phone to give his full attention to her. He scanned her up and down to see if she had pushed herself too hard in her practice with Eita, but her stride and demeanor are both healthy. 

“Ah, (Name)! Did you get some energy out?” Leon greeted her, but she was distracted by Wakatoshi simply putting his arm out towards her, beckoning that he wanted attention. 

“She’s an amazing spiker, like always.” Eita fills in, “so what does that magazine look like? Did they make him look good?” 

“Like Miracle boy Wakatoshi.” Satori joked as he lifted the article out of his lap. “Look at these stats! Yeesh!” 

“Also the journalist writing the article was flattering with their descriptions,” Jin adds, Hayato nods vigorously beside him. 

(Name) scanned over the article, subtly nodding with each point and stat. “I don’t think so. All these points are valid.” She leans slightly into the arm that Wakatoshi had around her, comparing her own notes of the boy to what the Journalist had written down. “Oh, look, it’s official, you’re one of the top 3 spikers in Japan!” (Name) points, allowing Wakatoshi to follow her finger. He nodded. 

“Haha, we noticed that too,” Leon said. “We thought you would be pleased that he knocked Bokuto Kotaro out of top 3,” 

(Name) kept a smile from enveloping her face as she remembered the torture the boy inflicted upon her, but attempted to keep herself looking like the mature adult. 

“Nope. Not at all.” 

“LIAR!” Satori screamed, 

“Plain as day…” Eita shook his head. 

“(Name)-san, I hope you never have to lie your way out of a situation… because you’re terrible at lying.” Jin furrowed his brow. 

“I am not!” (Name) burst forward, but covered her mouth to keep her expressions from betraying her. 

Wakatoshi blinked once, then twice. He silently lifted his hand to her face, removing her hand from her mouth, drawing her attention to him. He stared for a little bit, before giving a slight confused look. 

“They’re right. Terrible liar.” 

“Oi… You’re supposed to be on my side…” 

“I don’t like lying.” 

The room lets out a hearty laugh as (Name) grimaces at her boyfriend. 

The next day, (Name) was sitting in her class, early for the day, but not too early. She was somehow earlier than Leon, her class companion throughout the years. She shrugged it off as she looked through the topics for the day. As she looked over the lesson, chattering hit her ear. 

“Ah! He’s usually so scary looking, but he looks really handsome here!” one girl mentions. (Name) was about to dismiss the comment when another girl chimes in. 

“It’s because of him that our volleyball team is really good.” wait. Who were they talking about? 

“Hey (L/Name)-san?” a voice called out to (Name) and she turned her face to one of her classmates. In her hands was a very familiar magazine. “You’re the manager for the Volleyball team, right?” 

“Um, yeah, did you need something?” She was a bit peeved. The way she said it was as if that’s all (Name) was. 

“I wanted to know about Ushijima-san! Does he have a favorite food? I was hoping the article would have it, but it totally doesn’t! I want to make him a lunch!” 

“Is he really that tall? 190 cm is huge!” another girl butts in. 

“You know, it’s not really my place to give you guys that info…” (Name) tried to let the girls down gently. 

“Why? You’re the manager, you should know everything, right?” There it was again. The mix of their tenacity and the use of that word, it hit something inside (Name). A manager. Someone who was just by Wakatoshi’s side. Anger bubbled up, but so did sadness. A sense of inadequacy. 

“Ah! Mind if I scoot past you? Thank you!” Finally, Leon had arrived. The girls quickly shifted their focus on the boy. 

“Oh! Oohira-san! Can you answer a few questions about Ushijima-san for us? (L/Name)-san won’t!” Leon grimaced before looking back at a slightly fuming (Name). 

“Ah… well, it is rude to ask questions about someone’s boyfriend.” Leon clarified, and the girls take a step back. 

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry (L/Name)-san,” one rolled up the magazine and placed it behind her back in shame. 

“Yeah, we thought you were just the manager!” The other attempted to clean up their mess, but it only got worse. There it was again. 

Just the manager. Has she been away that long? Was she just a manager? 

“Don’t worry about it. It was a mistake.” Her tone betrayed her words, as it came out more as a growl than an apology accepted. A shiver ran down both girls' spines as they rushed back to their desks. They had abandoned the magazine that they had been quizzing (Name) on. Leon reached down and picked up the pamphlet before turning his attention to (Name). 

“Are you okay?” a (Name) he hadn’t seen in a long time came out. One that was cold and withdrawn. She opened her notebook before beginning to write some pre-class notes. 

“Peachy.” 

She was a horrible liar. 

The classes passed quickly, but it felt like an eternity for Leon. He was forced to sit and watch (Name) go through her inner turmoil. Something they said was getting to her. 

As they made their way to the dining hall, Leon placed his hand on (Name)’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” He could feel (Name) tense underneath his touch, and he quickly backed off. She shook her head, then forced a bit of a cold smile. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.” 

Lunch passed, and (Name) was still in the same mood. Aloof, distant, and masquerading. Something had gotten to her, and it was bothering everyone. Especially Wakatoshi. He would ask again and again, but she would brush it off. By the time dinner rolled around, Wakatoshi had become beyond frustrated. 

He laid on the couch in his shared space with Leon, tossing a ball to himself. With each return to his hands, the ball went higher and higher, and eventually, it began ramming against the ceiling. With each bounce, Leon jumped. He was trying to focus on his work, but the rhythmic angry tosses of Wakatoshi kept his focus from fully forming. Eventually, Leon took a deep breath before turning to his roommate. 

“You know people live above us, right? I’m sure they don’t appreciate a volleyball constantly hitting their floor.” 

“Why is (Name) lying?” Wakatoshi immediately replied, and did not halt his tossing. “She knows she’s bad at it. I don’t like lying. Why is she doing this?” 

“Straight to the point. I can at least appreciate that.” Leon sighed before turning his chair towards Wakatoshi. “I think she may be dealing with something. Although she isn’t exactly saying what.” Leon watched as Wakatoshi continued to toss the ball against the ceiling. Their poor upstairs neighbors. 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just say what’s wrong then?” 

“Maybe not for her. Maybe it's something that’s difficult to talk about in front of everyone-” just as Leon was about to finish up his sentence, their door swung wide open. A very tired and pissed off artist stood there, clutching a pillow in one hand, and (Name)’s arm in the other. 

“DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM, SO I CAN GET BACK TO WORK!” (Name)’s roommate screams, tossing in (Name). Before (Name) can verbally protest back, her roommate’s other arm swings down to allow a pillow to fly into (Name)’s face. The door is then slammed shut, leaving a stunned trio of third-years. 

(Name) slowly removed the pillow projectile from her face, before turning to the boys. 

“... My roommate was working in a friend’s dorm when all the sudden thumping could be heard from the floor…” 

“Ah… that explains some things.” Leon sighs before looking over at Wakatoshi. He wanted to set things up to be a success, but wondered if there was anything he could do. “Well, (Name), there’s actually something we’d like to-” before he could finish, Wakatoshi had gotten up, hoisted (Name) up into his arms, and ushered her into his room. Leon panicked slightly at how much he could not control now. 

In Wakatoshi’s room, (Name) is placed gently on his bed, before Wakatoshi sits next to her. His gaze is intense, and (Name) squirms slightly as she looks at the corner of the room. 

“Why have you been lying?” Wakatoshi dove right in. “You won’t say what’s wrong in front of others, so just tell me.” (Name) flinched. Had he been thinking about this? 

“Wakatoshi…” (Name) sighs before rubbing her arm slightly. “Right to it, huh?” She shook her head, looking up at Wakatoshi. “It’s stupid, really.” 

“It’s clearly not, it’s been affecting you all day. Enough to lie.” Wakatoshi corrected her. (Name) once again let out a sigh. 

“Well, it feels stupid.” playing with a strand of her hair she avoided eye contact. “Some girls today began asking me questions about you because of the magazine.” 

“I’m not interested in them.” Wakatoshi immediately replied, but (Name) shook her head. 

“I know that. It’s not really what bothered me. It’s the fact that they called me just a manager like I wasn’t worthy.” (Name) placed her hands in her lap, furrowing her brow. “When I got to spike with Eita yesterday, I was on top of the world. I was able to fly again, but as soon as my feet hit the ground, I was reminded of reality.” (Name) then went and gripped her knee. A black brace was currently wrapped around it. It was beginning to feel like a cage. “Just a manager. To them, I’m just a manager, a backdrop to you.” 

“That’s wrong.” Wakatoshi puts it easily. “Anyone around you can see that. I’ve never seen you as a backdrop. You’re my equal.” his resolve and simplicity to his words made (Name) feel silly for even suggesting her feelings. He was confident, and the way he talked made her believe every word. 

“I guess if you put it that way, I was being kind of dumb…” (Name) tilted her head, but Wakatoshi slid a hand onto her cheek to refocus her gaze onto him. 

“It’s the way you felt. It was dumber to lie.” His monotone voice combined with his words caused (Name) to burst into a fit of giggles. Wakatoshi furrowed his brow. “What?” 

“You always seem to make the most complex matters into the simplest of things.” (Name) turned her face and kissed Wakatoshi’s palm. “Thank you. It puts things into perspective.” 

Wakatoshi took (Name) into an embrace, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Just don’t lie again. Tell me things.” He furrowed his brow as he buried his face into the top of (Name)’s hair. “You’re a terrible liar.” 

(Name) let out a sigh. She couldn’t argue with that. 


End file.
